Shloka 20
सभा-पर्यवसान-प्रस्थानवचनम् | Counsel at the Point of Departure
एते द्रोणादयश्नैव वृद्धा धर्मविदो जना: । शून्यै: शरीरैस्तिष्ठन्ति गतासव इवानता:
ete droṇādayaś caiva vṛddhā dharmavido janāḥ | śūnyaiḥ śarīrais tiṣṭhanti gatāsava ivānatāḥ ||
ພີສະມະກ່າວວ່າ: «ບັນດາຜູ້ເຖົ້າແກ່—ດໂຣນາ ແລະຜູ້ອື່ນໆ—ຜູ້ຮູ້ທຳມະ ນັ່ງຢູ່ນີ້ດ້ວຍກາຍຮ່າງດັ່ງຖືກຖອນອອກໃຫ້ຫວ່າງເປົ່າ, ຫົວກໍກົ້ມລົງ, ຄືຄົນທີ່ລົມຫາຍໃຈໄດ້ຈາກໄປແລ້ວ. ຕາມຄວາມເຫັນຂອງຂ້ອຍ, ຜູ້ມີອຳນາດອ້າງອີງສູງສຸດໃນການຕັດສິນຄຳຖາມນີ້ ແມ່ນ ທຳມະຣາຊາ ຢຸທິສຖິຣ ເອງ: ເຈົ້າຖືກຊະນະຫຼືບໍ່—ໃຫ້ລາວຜູ້ດຽວເປັນຜູ້ປະກາດ.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
When dharma is in doubt, mere seniority or learning is not enough if one is morally incapacitated; the decisive testimony should come from the principal agent responsible for the act—in this case Yudhiṣṭhira—so that judgment rests on rightful authority and accountability.
In the Kuru assembly after the dice-game, the elders like Droṇa sit with heads bowed, stunned and silent. Bhīṣma observes their helplessness and argues that the disputed issue—whether the queen has been ‘won’—must be clarified by Yudhiṣṭhira himself, since he is the one who staked and lost.