Shloka 496
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय ९३: कृष्णस्य धृतराष्ट्रोपदेशः
Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel to Dhṛtarāṣṭra in the Assembly
निषसादासने राजा सहतपुत्रो विशाम्पते । जनमेजय! गान्धारदेशीय सैनिकोंसे सुरक्षित पुत्रसहित गान्धारराज शकुनि भी एक आसनपर बैठा था
niṣasādāsane rājā sahatapūtro viśāmpate | janamejaya! gāndhāradeśīyaiḥ sainikaiḥ surakṣitaḥ putrasahito gāndhārarājaḥ śakuniḥ api ekāsane upāviśat
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Wahai Janamejaya, sang raja, pelindung rakyat, duduk di singgasananya bersama putranya. Shakuni juga—raja Gandhāra—yang dijaga oleh prajurit dari negeri Gandhāra, duduk pada satu tempat duduk bersama putranya.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how authority and intention are communicated through public arrangements—who sits where, with whom, and under what protection. In the Mahābhārata’s ethical frame, such displays are not neutral: they signal alliances and the readiness to pursue policy (nīti) that may conflict with dharma, thereby setting the moral stakes for decisions that follow.
In Vaiśaṃpāyana’s narration to King Janamejaya, the king takes his seat with his son. Shakuni, the Gandhāran ruler, likewise sits—guarded by Gandhāra troops—and is described as seated together with his son on a single seat, indicating his prominent, protected presence in the assembly.