Shloka 41
पुनर्द्यूत-समाह्वानम्
Renewed Summons to the Dice-Game and Exile Wager
द्रोणस्य भीष्मस्य च नास्ति सत्त्व॑ क्षत्तुस्तथैवास्य महात्मनोडपि । राज्ञस्तथा हीममधर्ममुग्रं न लक्षयन्ते कुरुवृद्धमुख्या:
droṇasya bhīṣmasya ca nāsti sattvaṃ kṣattuḥ tathaivāsya mahātmano 'pi | rājñas tathā hīmam adharmaṃ ugraṃ na lakṣayante kuru-vṛddha-mukhyāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Pada Droṇa dan Bhīṣma tiada lagi kekuatan untuk bertindak; demikian juga pada Kṣattṛ yang berjiwa agung (Vidura). Begitu juga pada raja Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Maka para tua-tua terkemuka kaum Kuru tidak memandang—tidak menyedari—adharma yang menggerunkan, yang membuat darah beku, yakni kezaliman yang ganas, sedang dilakukan (di bawah pengaruh Duryodhana).”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
When elders and authorities lose moral courage (sattva) and fail to restrain wrongdoing, adharma spreads unchecked; ethical responsibility includes the duty to recognize and oppose injustice, not merely to possess status or wisdom.
The narrator observes that key Kuru authorities—Droṇa, Bhīṣma, Vidura, and King Dhṛtarāṣṭra—are unable or unwilling to act decisively, and thus the Kuru elders do not confront the terrifying adharma unfolding in the court, associated with Duryodhana’s conduct.