Shloka 12
धृतराष्ट्रोपदेशः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Instruction on Rājadharma and Bala
इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत आश्रमवासिकपर्वके अन्तर्गत आश्रमवासपर्वमें युधिष्ठिरका अनुमोदनविषयक बारहवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
iti prakāraṃ śrīmahābhārate āśramavāsikaparvaṇi antargate āśramavāsaparvaṇi yudhiṣṭhirasyānumodanaviṣayakaḥ dvādaśo 'dhyāyaḥ samāptaḥ | dīnāndhakṛpaṇebhyaś ca tatra tatra nṛpājñayā—“vidura-jī! tvaṃ rājā dhṛtarāṣṭrasya ājñayā dīnānām andhānāṃ ca kangālānām ca kṛte bhinna-bhinneṣu sthāneṣu pracurānna-rasa-pānīyadravyaiḥ paripūrṇāḥ anekā dharmaśālāḥ kārayāhi, gāvaḥ pānārthaṃ bahūn pausalānāṃ nirmāṇaṃ ca kārayāhi; saha anyān api vividhān puṇyaprakārān ācara.”
Demikianlah, dalam Śrī Mahābhārata, di dalam Āśramavāsika Parva, bab kedua belas bahagian Āśramavāsa—mengenai persetujuan Yudhiṣṭhira—berakhir. Dan, menurut titah raja, demi manfaat orang miskin, orang buta, dan yang papa di pelbagai tempat, Vidura diperintahkan: “Wahai Vidura! Atas perintah Raja Dhṛtarāṣṭra, aturkan supaya banyak rumah singgah kebajikan (dharmasālā) dibina di tempat-tempat berlainan, dipenuhi makanan yang melimpah, minuman berkhasiat, dan air minum yang layak bagi mereka yang memerlukan. Juga bina banyak palung air untuk lembu, dan lakukan pelbagai lagi amal kebajikan.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Kingship and dharma are expressed through public welfare: providing food, drinkable water, shelter, and care for vulnerable people (the poor, blind, destitute) and even for animals. Merit (puṇya) is pursued not merely through ritual but through compassionate, organized service.
At the close of the chapter, the narrator notes its completion and reports a royal directive: Vidura, acting under Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s command, is to establish well-provisioned charitable rest-houses in various places and to build watering facilities for cattle, along with other meritorious works—framing the elders’ forest-retirement period with acts of public good.