Shloka 15
याज्ञसेनी-प्रश्नः
Draupadī’s Question in the Assembly
मोहात्मा तप्स्यसे पश्चात् पत्रिहा पुरुषो यथा । (एतेन तव नाश: स्याद् बडिशाच्छफरो यथा ।) जातं॑ जात॑ पाण्डवेभ्य: पुष्पमादत्स्व भारत
mohātmā tapsyase paścāt pattrihā puruṣo yathā | (etena tava nāśaḥ syād baḍiśāc chapharo yathā |) jātaṃ jāta pāṇḍavebhyaḥ puṣpam ādatsva bhārata
Vidura memberi amaran: “Dibutakan oleh khayal, kelak engkau akan menanggung sesal—seperti lelaki yang membunuh burung lalu menyesal. Dengan jalan inilah engkau akan menuju kebinasaan, seperti ikan yang tersangkut pada mata kail. Maka, wahai Bharata, terimalah ‘bunga’ yang lahir berulang-ulang daripada para Pāṇḍava—yakni hasil terbaik yang datang daripada mereka (niat baik, persekutuan, dan bahagian yang sah), jangan memilih jalan yang berakhir dengan kehancuran.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura teaches that decisions made under delusion and greed lead to inevitable ruin and later remorse. Wise kingship means accepting a just, auspicious course—here, making peace and granting the Pāṇḍavas their due—rather than pursuing harmful schemes that ‘hook’ one into destruction.
In the Sabha Parva, Vidura admonishes the Kuru ruler (addressed as ‘Bharata’) during the escalating conflict around the Pāṇḍavas’ treatment. He uses vivid similes—a repentant bird-killer and a fish caught by a hook—to warn that hostile actions against the Pāṇḍavas will rebound disastrously, urging acceptance of the best and rightful settlement connected with them.