Shloka 22
Daitya-āśvāsana of Duryodhana; Karṇa’s assurance and the mobilization of the Kaurava host
वैशम्पायन उवाच एवमुक्त: शकुनिना धृतराष्ट्रो जनेश्वर: । दुर्योधनं सहामात्यमनुजज्ञे न कामत:,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! शकुनिके ऐसा कहनेपर राजा धृतराष्ट्रने इच्छा न होते हुए भी मन्त्रियों-सहित दुर्योधनको वहाँ जानेकी आज्ञा दे दी
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: evam uktaḥ Śakuninā Dhṛtarāṣṭro janeśvaraḥ | Duryodhanaṃ sahāmātyam anujajñe na kāmataḥ ||
വൈശമ്പായനൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ജനമേജയാ! ശകുനി ഇങ്ങനെ പറഞ്ഞപ്പോൾ, ഇഷ്ടമില്ലായിരുന്നിട്ടും മനുഷ്യരുടെ അധിപനായ ധൃതരാഷ്ട്രൻ മന്ത്രിമാരോടുകൂടി ദുര്യോധനന് അവിടെ പോകാൻ അനുവാദം നൽകി.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s responsibility is not merely to decide, but to decide rightly. Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s reluctant consent—given under another’s influence—illustrates ethical failure through weakness of will: permitting harmful action despite inner reluctance still makes one complicit in its consequences.
After Śakuni speaks and urges a course of action, Dhṛtarāṣṭra grants Duryodhana permission to go (along with his ministers). The narration highlights that the king does so unwillingly, signaling tension between conscience and political/familial pressure.