Shloka 2
Ādi Parva 117 — Pāṇḍu’s Obsequies, Escort of the Pāṇḍavas, and Reception at Nāgasāhvaya
Hastināpura
वैशम्पायन उवाच दुर्योधनो युयुत्सुश्न राजन् दुःशासनस्तथा । दुःसहो दुःशलश्चैव जलसंध: सम: सह:
vaiśampāyana uvāca
duryodhano yuyutsuś ca rājan duḥśāsanas tathā |
duḥsaho duḥśalaś caiva jalasaṃdhaḥ samaḥ sahaḥ ||
ವೈಶಂಪಾಯನನು ಹೇಳಿದನು— “ಹೇ ರಾಜನೇ! (ಧೃತರಾಷ್ಟ್ರನ ಪುತ್ರರು) ದುರ್ಯೋಧನ, ಯುಯುತ್ಸು, ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ದುಃಶಾಸನ; ನಂತರ ದುಃಸಹ, ದುಃಶಲ, ಜಲಸಂಧ, ಸಮ, ಸಹ—ಇವರು (ಕ್ರಮವಾಗಿ) ಇದ್ದರು.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even before the war narrative unfolds, the epic stresses that moral collapse (adharma) arises within families and institutions: a long lineage and many heirs do not guarantee righteousness; character and choices do.
Vaiśampāyana, speaking to King Janamejaya, begins enumerating Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s children—starting with prominent Kaurava princes—setting the stage for later conflicts centered on these figures.