Shloka 144
अनुक्रमणिकाध्यायः (Anukramaṇikā Adhyāya) — Invocation, Narrator Frame, and Textual Scope
जब युद्धमें पाण्डवोंकी जीत होती गयी, तब यह अत्यन्त अप्रिय समाचार सुनकर तथा दुर्योधन, कर्ण और शकुनिके दुराग्रहपूर्ण निश्चित विचार जानकर धृतराष्ट्र बहुत देरतक चिन्तामें पड़े रहे। फिर उन्होंने संजयसे कहा--'संजय! मेरी सब बातें सुन लो। फिर इस युद्ध या विनाशके लिये मुझे दोष न दे सकोगे। तुम विद्धानू, मेधावी, बुद्धिमान् और पण्डितके लिये भी आदरणीय हो। इस युद्धमें मेरी सम्मति बिलकुल नहीं थी और यह जो हमारे कुलका विनाश हो गया है, इससे मुझे तनिक भी प्रसन्नता नहीं हुई है ।। १४१-- १४३ || न मे विशेष: पुत्रेषु स्वेषु पाण्डुसुतेषु वा । वृद्ध मामभ्यसूयन्ति पुत्रा मन्युपरायणा:,मेरे लिये अपने पुत्रों और पाण्डवोंमें कोई भेद नहीं था। किंतु क्या करूँ? मेरे पुत्र क्रोधके वशीभूत हो मुझपर ही दोषारोपण करते थे और मेरी बात नहीं मानते थे
yadā yuddhe pāṇḍavānāṁ jayo vardhamānaḥ, tadā etad atyanta-apriyaṁ vṛttāntaṁ śrutvā ca duryodhana-karṇa-śakuni-durāgraha-pūrṇaṁ niścayaṁ jñātvā ca dhṛtarāṣṭro dīrgha-kālaṁ cintāyāṁ magnas tiṣṭhat. tataḥ sa sañjayaṁ uvāca— “sañjaya, mama sarvāḥ kathāḥ śṛṇu; tataḥ tvam asmin yuddhe vināśe vā māṁ na doṣayiṣyasi. tvaṁ vidvān medhāvī buddhimān paṇḍitaiś ca pūjyaḥ. asmin yuddhe mama saṁmatiḥ kadācana na āsīt; asya ca kula-vināśasya jātasya mama kiñcid api harṣaḥ na jātaḥ. na me viśeṣaḥ putreṣu sveṣu pāṇḍu-suteṣu vā; kintu kiṁ karomi? putrāḥ manyu-parāyaṇāḥ vṛddhaṁ mām abhyasūyantaḥ mām eva doṣayanti, mama vacanaṁ ca na gṛhṇanti.”
As the Pāṇḍavas’ victory kept advancing in the war, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, hearing this most unwelcome news and recognizing the obstinate resolve of Duryodhana, Karṇa, and Śakuni, remained sunk in anxious reflection for a long time. Then he said to Sañjaya: “Sañjaya, listen to everything I have to say; then you will not be able to blame me for this war or for the ruin that follows. You are learned, discerning, intelligent, and respected even among scholars. I never truly consented to this war, and the destruction of our lineage has brought me no joy at all. I made no distinction between my own sons and the sons of Pāṇḍu; yet what could I do? My sons, driven by anger, resented me, laid the fault upon me, and would not accept my counsel.”
Educational Q&A
Dhṛtarāṣṭra frames a moral claim of impartiality and non-consent, yet the passage highlights the ethical tension between inner disapproval and ineffective action: a ruler’s responsibility is not only to know what is right but to restrain wrongdoing and ensure counsel is heeded, especially when anger and obstinacy drive a community toward ruin.
News arrives that the Pāṇḍavas are gaining victory. Dhṛtarāṣṭra, distressed and aware of Duryodhana, Karṇa, and Śakuni’s stubborn resolve, speaks to Sañjaya to pre-empt blame, asserting he did not approve the war, felt no joy at the clan’s destruction, and did not discriminate between his sons and the Pāṇḍavas—yet his sons, consumed by anger, rejected his advice and blamed him.