Shloka 18
Adhyāya 128 — Proposal to Restrain Keśava; Sātyaki’s Warning and Vidura–Dhṛtarāṣṭra Counsel
त॑ प्रविष्टमभिप्रेक्ष्य पुत्रमुत्पथमास्थितम् । विगर्हमाणा गान्धारी शमार्थ वाक्यमब्रवीत्,अपने कुमार्गगामी पुत्रको पुन: सभाके भीतर आया देख गान्धारी उसकी निन्दा करती हुई शान्ति-स्थापनके लिये इस प्रकार बोली--
taṁ praviṣṭam abhiprekṣya putram utpatham āsthitam | vigarhamāṇā gāndhārī śamārthaṁ vākyam abravīt ||
Melihat puteranya masuk semula ke balairung, setelah tersasar ke jalan yang salah, Gāndhārī—sambil menegurnya—mengucapkan kata-kata demi memulihkan perdamaian.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A leader (and even more so a prince) must not persist in an ‘utpatha’—a course opposed to dharma. Moral correction and the pursuit of śama (peace) are presented as urgent duties, especially when one’s choices endanger the community and invite war.
The narrator describes Gandhārī seeing her son return into the assembly while committed to a wrongful course. She rebukes him and begins speaking with the explicit aim of pacifying the situation and steering events toward reconciliation.