Shloka 19
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Duryodhana Dialogue on Peace and the Refusal of Compromise
धृतराष्ट्र रवाच सर्वान् वस्तात शोचामि त्यक्तो दुर्योधनो मया । ये मन्दमनुयास्यध्वं यान्तं वैवस्वतक्षयम्
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca — sarvān vo ’tāta śocāmi tyakto duryodhano mayā | ye mandam anuyāsyadhvaṃ yāntaṃ vaivasvatakṣayam ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra berkata: “Wahai anak-anakku! Aku berduka bagi kalian semua. Duryodhana telah kutinggalkan. Siapa pun di antara kalian yang mengikuti orang bodoh itu—yang melangkah menuju kediaman Vaivasvata (Yama)—bagi mereka semua aku tenggelam dalam duka.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Blind loyalty to an unrighteous leader leads to ruin; ethical discernment requires refusing to follow folly even when it is bound up with family or faction. Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s grief underscores the moral cost of adharma and the inevitability of consequences symbolized by ‘Yama’s abode’.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war tensions, Dhṛtarāṣṭra addresses the Kauravas, declaring that he has ‘abandoned’ Duryodhana and lamenting those who will still follow him on a path that ends in death—figuratively described as going to Vaivasvata (Yama).