Shloka 9
स्त्रीपर्व — अध्याय १५: गान्धारी-युधिष्ठिर-संवादः
Gandhārī’s Confrontation and Consolation of Yudhiṣṭhira
तदैव वध्य: सोअस्माकं दुराचारश्न ते सुतः । धर्मराजाज्ञया चैव स्थिता: सम समये तदा,“आपके उस दुराचारी पुत्रको तो हमें उसी समय मार डालना चाहिये था; परंतु धर्मराजकी आज्ञासे हमलोग समयके बन्धनमें बँधकर चुप रह गये
tadaiva vadhyaḥ so ’smākaṃ durācāraś ca te sutaḥ | dharmarājājñayā caiva sthitāḥ sma samaye tadā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “At that very time, your son—wicked in conduct—ought to have been slain by us. Yet, bound by the command of Dharmarāja, we restrained ourselves then and remained within the limits of the appointed time.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when punishment seems justified, dharma in practice may require restraint and obedience to legitimate authority; ethical action is framed not only by anger or retribution but by adherence to a righteous ruler’s command and agreed limits.
The speaker recalls that the opposing party’s son, described as wicked, could have been killed earlier; however, they did not act then because Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira) had ordered them to hold back, and they remained bound by that directive and the constraints of the proper time.