Shloka 18
सुरभि–इन्द्रसंवादः
Surabhi–Indra Dialogue as a Governance Exemplar
वैशम्पायन उवाच ततो व्यावृत्य राजानं दुर्योधनममर्षणम् । उवाच श्लक्षणया वाचा मैत्रेयो भगवानृषि:,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! तदनन्तर महर्षि भगवान् मैत्रेय अमर्षशील राजा दुर्योधनकी ओर मुड़कर उससे मधुर वाणीमें इस प्रकार बोले
vaiśampāyana uvāca | tato vyāvṛtya rājānaṃ duryodhanam amarṣaṇam | uvāca ślakṣaṇayā vācā maitreyo bhagavān ṛṣiḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then, turning toward King Duryodhana—known for his ungovernable resentment—the venerable sage Maitreya addressed him in gentle, refined speech. The scene signals a moral confrontation: a hot-tempered ruler is met not with provocation, but with disciplined, benevolent counsel, testing whether pride will yield to dharma-guided advice.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when confronting a resentful and pride-driven person, the dharmic approach is measured, gentle speech from a place of moral authority. The verse frames ethical counsel as a test of character: whether anger and ego will submit to wise instruction.
The narrator Vaiśampāyana reports that the sage Maitreya turns toward King Duryodhana and begins to address him calmly and politely, setting up an admonition or guidance directed at Duryodhana’s temperament and conduct.