Shloka 16
उद्योगपर्व — गान्धारी-उपदेशः
Udyoga Parva — Gandhārī’s Counsel to Duryodhana
एवंबुद्धि: पाण्डवेषु मिथ्यावृत्ति: सदा भवान् । कथं ते नापराधो<स्ति पाण्डवेषु महात्मसु,“ऐसे ही विचार रखकर तू पाण्डवोंके प्रति सदा कपटपूर्ण बर्ताव करता आया है, फिर कैसे मान लिया जाय कि महात्मा पाण्डवोंके प्रति तेरा कोई अपराध ही नहीं है
evaṃbuddhiḥ pāṇḍaveṣu mithyāvṛttiḥ sadā bhavān | kathaṃ te nāparādho 'sti pāṇḍaveṣu mahātmasu ||
Dengan pikiran seperti itu terhadap para Pāṇḍava, engkau senantiasa bersikap curang kepada mereka. Bagaimana mungkin diterima bahwa engkau sama sekali tidak bersalah terhadap para Pāṇḍava yang berhati luhur itu?
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Deceitful conduct toward righteous persons cannot be excused as ‘no offence’; inner intention (buddhi) and sustained behavior (vṛtti) establish moral responsibility (aparādha).
Vaiśampāyana, narrating events of the Udyoga Parva, points out that the addressed person has consistently acted deceitfully toward the Pāṇḍavas, and therefore cannot plausibly claim innocence of wrongdoing against them.