Shloka 24
कस्तस्य विश्वसेद् वीरो दुष्कृतेरकृतात्मन: । अथवा पुरुषैर्गूढै: प्रयोगो5यं दुरात्मन:
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
kastasyā viśvased vīro duṣkṛter akṛtātmanaḥ |
athavā puruṣair gūḍhaiḥ prayogo 'yaṃ durātmanaḥ |
dharmaputro mahābāhur vilalāpa suvistaram ||
ໄວສັມປາຍະນະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ວີລະບຸລຸດຄົນໃດຈະໄວ້ໃຈຄົນແບບນັ້ນໄດ້—ຜູ້ທີ່ຄຸ້ນຊິນກັບການກະທຳຊົ່ວ ແລະບໍ່ມີການຄວບຄຸມຕົນ? ຫຼືບໍ່ຢ່າງນັ້ນ ກົນລະຍຸດອັນຮຸນແຮງນີ້ ອາດຈະຖືກດຳເນີນໂດຍຜູ້ຄົນທີ່ຖືກສົ່ງມາແບບລັບໆ ຕາມການຊັກຊວນຂອງຜູ້ມີໃຈຊົ່ວ»। ເຫັນພີ່ນ້ອງຂອງຕົນນອນລົ້ມໄຮ້ຊີວິດ ທຳມະບຸດ ຢຸທິສຖິຣ ຜູ້ມີແຂນແຂງ ຈົມຢູ່ໃນຄວາມໂສກ ແລະຄຳຄວນຄິດຮ້ອງໄຫ້ຢ່າງຍາວນານ—ສົງໄສການຫັກຫຼັງ ແລະຕຳນິຄວາມວຸ້ນວາຍທາງທຳມະ ຂອງຜູ້ທີ່ເຫັນຄວາມຖືກແລະຜິດເປັນສິ່ງດຽວກັນ।
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical judgment: a person lacking self-control (akṛtātmā) and habituated to wrongdoing (duṣkṛti) becomes untrustworthy, and secretive ‘stratagems’ (prayoga) carried out through hidden agents (gūḍha-puruṣa) are marks of adharma. It highlights how moral character determines credibility and how covert violence corrodes righteous order.
After seeing his brothers fallen and apparently lifeless, Yudhiṣṭhira laments extensively and tries to identify the cause. He suspects that such a deed could come from Śakuni’s crooked intellect or from Duryodhana acting through concealed agents—interpreting the calamity as the result of hostile, deceitful plotting.