Shloka 29
Udyoga Parva, Adhyaya 31 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Instructions to Sañjaya
Peace Appeal and Five-Village Proposal
त्वमेवैको जातु पुत्रस्य राजन् वशं गत्वा सर्वलोके नरेन्द्र । कामात्मन: श्लाघनो द्यूतकाले नागा: शमं पश्य विपाकमस्य,राजन्! महाराज! समस्त संसारमें एकमात्र आप ही अपने स्वेच्छाचारी पुत्रकी प्रशंसा करते हुए उसके अधीन होकर द्यूतक्रीड़ाके समय जो उसकी प्रशंसा करते थे तथा (राज्यका लोभ छोड़कर) शान्त न हो सके, उसका अब यह भयंकर परिणाम अपनी आँखों देख लीजिये
tvam evaiko jātu putrasya rājan vaśaṁ gatvā sarvaloke narendra | kāmātmanaḥ ślāghano dyūtakāle nāgāḥ śamaṁ paśya vipākam asya, rājan ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Raja, wahai penguasa manusia, di seluruh dunia hanya engkau yang sungguh tunduk pada putramu yang dikuasai nafsu—terutama pada saat permainan dadu—dan memujinya. Karena engkau tidak mau menjadi tenang dan berhenti, maka pandanglah kini dengan matamu sendiri buah yang mengerikan dari perilaku itu, wahai Raja.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must not surrender judgment to attachment—especially parental attachment—and must restrain desire-driven wrongdoing early. Praising and enabling adharma, even indirectly, matures into severe consequences (vipāka) that one must eventually face.
Sañjaya rebukes Dhṛtarāṣṭra: he alone indulged and praised his son’s conduct, particularly during the dice-game episode, and failed to choose restraint and peace. Now, as war becomes inevitable, Sañjaya urges him to witness the terrible outcome of those earlier choices.