Shloka 20
सभा-पर्यवसान-प्रस्थानवचनम् | Counsel at the Point of Departure
एते द्रोणादयश्नैव वृद्धा धर्मविदो जना: । शून्यै: शरीरैस्तिष्ठन्ति गतासव इवानता:
ete droṇādayaś caiva vṛddhā dharmavido janāḥ | śūnyaiḥ śarīrais tiṣṭhanti gatāsava ivānatāḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Para sesepuh ini—Droṇa dan yang lain—orang-orang yang mengetahui dharma, duduk dengan kepala tertunduk, tubuh seakan kosong, laksana mereka yang telah ditinggalkan napas kehidupan. Menurut penilaianku, untuk memutuskan persoalan ini, orang yang paling berwenang adalah Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira sendiri: apakah engkau telah dimenangkan atau tidak—dialah yang patut menyatakannya.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
When dharma is in doubt, mere seniority or learning is not enough if one is morally incapacitated; the decisive testimony should come from the principal agent responsible for the act—in this case Yudhiṣṭhira—so that judgment rests on rightful authority and accountability.
In the Kuru assembly after the dice-game, the elders like Droṇa sit with heads bowed, stunned and silent. Bhīṣma observes their helplessness and argues that the disputed issue—whether the queen has been ‘won’—must be clarified by Yudhiṣṭhira himself, since he is the one who staked and lost.