Shloka 44
धृतराष्ट्रस्य मूर्च्छा—व्यासोपदेशः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Collapse and Vyāsa’s Counsel
भवान् धर्मपरो यत्र बुद्धिश्रेष्ठक्ष भारत । मुहाते प्राणिनां ज्ञात्वा गतिं चागतिमेव च,भरतनन्दन! तुम धर्मपरायण और बुद्धिमें श्रेष्ठ हो। तुम्हें प्राणियोंके आवागमनका रहस्य भी ज्ञात है, तो भी क्यों मोहके वशीभूत हो रहे हो?
bhavān dharmaparo yatra buddhiśreṣṭhaś ca bhārata | muhyase prāṇināṃ jñātvā gatiṃ cāgatiṃ eva ca ||
Vyāsa said: You are devoted to dharma and foremost in discernment, O Bhārata. You understand the course and the return of living beings—their going and not-going—so why do you still fall under the spell of delusion? In this moment of grief, remember what you know: sorrow must not overturn ethical clarity, for one who sees the law of life and death should not be mastered by moha.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a person grounded in dharma and clear intellect can be shaken by grief, but knowledge of the soul’s course—life, death, and the moral order—should restrain delusion. The verse urges steadiness: do not let moha eclipse righteous understanding.
In the aftermath of the war, amid lamentation and moral shock, Vyāsa addresses a Kuru elder (Bhārata) and rebukes his bewilderment. He reminds him of his reputation for dharma and wisdom and questions why he is overcome by grief despite knowing the principles governing beings’ destinies.