Shloka 9
Adhyāya 8 — Vidura’s Return and the Kaurava Counsel (Āraṇyaka-parva)
अथवायं सुमन्दात्मा वनं गच्छतु ते सुत: । पाण्डवै: सहितो राजन्नेक एवासहायवान्,अथवा तुम्हारा यह मन्दबुद्धि पुत्र अकेला ही दूसरे किसी सहायकको लिये बिना पाण्डवोंके साथ वनमें जाय
athavāyaṁ sumandātmā vanaṁ gacchatu te sutaḥ | pāṇḍavaiḥ sahito rājann eka evāsahāyavān ||
Or else, O king, let this dull-witted son of yours go to the forest together with the Pāṇḍavas—going alone, without any helper or support. The counsel implies that if he insists on sharing their fate, he should do so without endangering others, and that the hardships of exile may serve as a moral corrective for one lacking discernment.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sound counsel to a ruler: do not let misguided attachment or poor judgment create wider harm. If a foolish prince insists on joining the exiled Pāṇḍavas, he should go without entourage—so responsibility remains personal, and hardship may reform character.
Vyāsa addresses the king and proposes an alternative course: the king’s dull-minded son may accompany the Pāṇḍavas to the forest, but he should go alone, without helpers—framing exile as both a test and a restraint on further trouble.