Shloka 30
धृतराष्ट्रस्य मूर्च्छा तथा द्रोणविषयकप्रश्नाः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Fainting and Questions Concerning Droṇa
ब्राह्मणानां प्रतिष्ठा35सीत् स्रोतसामिव सागर: । क्षत्रं च ब्रह्म चैवेह यो5भ्यतिष्ठत् परंतप:
brāhmaṇānāṁ pratiṣṭhā sīt srotasām iva sāgaraḥ | kṣatraṁ ca brahma caiveha yo 'bhyatiṣṭhat paraṁtapaḥ ||
He was the firm support of the Brahmins, like the ocean that receives and steadies the rivers’ currents. Here he upheld both royal power and sacred knowledge together—he, the scorcher of foes.
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises an ideal figure who becomes a stabilizing refuge for the learned (Brāhmaṇas) while also sustaining rightful royal authority (kṣatra). Ethically, it points to balanced governance: power should be anchored in sacred learning and moral order, not separated from it.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra describes a celebrated person (referred to with the epithet paraṁtapaḥ) as a pillar of society—supporting Brahmins like the ocean supports rivers—and as one who maintained both the warrior-kingly sphere and the Brahminical sphere together, highlighting his stature amid the Drona Parva war-time recollection.