Shloka 18
Chapter 26: Śoka-pratiṣedha, Hata-saṅkhyā, Gati-vibhāga, Pretakārya-ājñā
Restraint of Grief, Count of the Slain, Destinies, and Funerary Directives
धघतराट्र उवाच केन ज्ञानबलेनैवं पुत्र पश्यसि सिद्धवत् | तन्मे वद महाबाहो श्रोतव्यं यदि वै मया
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca kena jñānabalenaivaṁ putra paśyasi siddhavat | tan me vada mahābāho śrotavyaṁ yadi vai mayā ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “By what strength of knowledge do you, my son, see things in this way—as if they were already accomplished and certain? Tell me that, O mighty-armed one, if it is something that I ought to hear.”
धघतराट्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights epistemic humility and ethical listening: Dhṛtarāṣṭra asks what kind of insight (jñānabala) enables someone to speak with certainty (siddhavat), and whether that knowledge is fit to be heard. It frames wisdom as something to be examined—its source, reliability, and moral relevance—before accepting it.
In the Stree Parva context of grief and reflection after the war, Dhṛtarāṣṭra addresses his son (commonly Sañjaya in such dialogues) and questions how he can perceive events with such assuredness. He requests an explanation of the basis of that perception, indicating a desire to understand the grounds of the counsel or report being given.