Shloka 14
धृतराष्ट्रविलापः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Inquiry (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 2)
परिष्वज्य च मां कण्ठे स्नेहेन क्लिन्नलोचन: । अनुशाधीति कौरव्य तत् साधु वद मे वच:,कुरुनन्दन! तुम पहले स्नेहसे नेत्रोंमें आँसू भरकर मेरे गलेसे लग जाते और कहते 'पिताजी! मुझे कर्तव्यका उपदेश दीजिये”, वही सुन्दर बात फिर मुझसे कहो
pariṣvajya ca māṃ kaṇṭhe snehena klinnalocanaḥ | anuśādhīti kauravya tat sādhu vada me vacaḥ ||
With eyes wet from affection, you would first embrace me around the neck and say, “O Kauravya, instruct me in my duty.” Now, O delight of the Kurus, speak to me again those same noble words—those words that uphold what is right.
धघतयाट्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharma as something to be learned through humble seeking and received through compassionate counsel: the speaker recalls the addressee’s earlier, tearful request for instruction in duty and urges him to return to that ethical clarity and respectful receptivity.
In the tense setting of the war, the speaker reminds the addressed Kaurava of a former intimate moment—embracing him with affection and asking for guidance—and now asks him to repeat those same ‘good’ words, implying a need to reaffirm right conduct amid crisis.