Shloka 75
धृतराष्ट्रस्य पाण्डवेषु प्रीति-वृत्तान्तः | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Affectionate Disposition toward the Pāṇḍavas
उपलभ्य ततः प्राणान् धृतराष्ट्रो महीपति: । बाहुभ्यां सम्परिष्वज्य मूथ्न्याजिप्रत पाण्डवम्,उनके स्पर्शसे राजा धृतराष्ट्रके शरीरमें मानो नूतन प्राण आ गये और उन्होंने अपनी दोनों भुजाओंसे युधिष्ठिरको छातीसे लगाकर उनका मस्तक सूँघा
upalabhya tataḥ prāṇān dhṛtarāṣṭro mahīpatiḥ | bāhubhyāṃ sampariṣvajya mūrdhny ājighrat pāṇḍavam ||
Lalu Raja Dhṛtarāṣṭra, seakan memperoleh kembali napas hidup dari sentuhan itu, memeluk Yudhiṣṭhira dengan kedua lengannya dan mencium (menghirup harum) kepalanya.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid grief and the moral wreckage left by war, dharma can manifest as compassion and reconciliation: a ruler and elder, though burdened by loss and past errors, chooses an act of affectionate acceptance that helps restore human bonds.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Dhṛtarāṣṭra, feeling renewed vitality through Yudhiṣṭhira’s touch, draws him close in a full embrace and affectionately smells his head—an intimate, paternal sign of acceptance and emotional release.