Shloka 30
धृतराष्ट्रस्य मूर्च्छा—व्यासोपदेशः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Collapse and Vyāsa’s Counsel
कलेरंश: समुत्पन्नो गान्धार्या जठरे नृप । अमर्षी चपलश्चापि क्रोधनो दुष्प्रसाधन:
kaler aṁśaḥ samutpanno gāndhāryā jaṭhare nṛpa | amarṣī capalaś cāpi krodhano duṣprasādhanaḥ ||
Vyāsa said: O king, an embodiment of a portion of Kali has arisen in Gāndhārī’s womb—one who is intolerant, fickle, wrathful, and hard to restrain. The verse frames the coming character not merely as a political threat but as a moral force of disorder, warning that unchecked anger and impulsiveness become engines of adharma and collective ruin.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that inner vices—intolerance, instability, and anger—are not private flaws but forces that destabilize society. When such traits become ‘hard to restrain,’ they drive adharma and bring suffering to many, especially in the sphere of rulership.
Vyāsa addresses the king and characterizes the child conceived in Gāndhārī’s womb as a manifestation of Kali’s influence—foretelling a person whose temperament will be disruptive and difficult to govern, thereby setting the moral tone for ensuing calamities.