Shloka 9
उद्योगपर्व — विदुरोक्तिः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra Addressed on Sincerity, Hospitality, and Settlement
आविकं च सुखस्पर्श पार्वतीयैरुपाह्तम् । तदप्यस्मै प्रदास्यामि सहस्राणि दशाष्ट च
āvikaṃ ca sukhasparśaṃ pārvatīyair upāhṛtam | tad apy asmai pradāsyāmi sahasrāṇi daśāṣṭa ca ||
ドリタラーシュトラは言った。「山の民が贈り物として携えてきた、触れれば柔らかな羊毛の覆いも与えよう。その中から一万八千枚の毛布を贈り物として差し出す。」
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Material generosity and political gifting cannot substitute for dharma. Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s lavish offers show an attempt to manage a moral crisis through wealth and appeasement, while the epic’s ethical pressure points toward justice, rightful restitution, and truthful commitment rather than transactional persuasion.
During Kṛṣṇa’s peace mission in the Udyoga Parva, Dhṛtarāṣṭra enumerates costly gifts he intends to present to Kṛṣṇa. Here he adds soft woollen blankets received from mountain folk, specifying that he will give eighteen thousand of them.