Shloka 21
Saṃjaya’s Warning to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: Accountability, Alliance-Shift, and the Pāṇḍava Strategic Edge
तव पुत्रो महाराज नानुशोचितुमहसि । द्यूतकाले मया चोक्त विदुरेण च धीमता
tava putro mahārāja nānuśocitum arhasi | dyūtakāle mayā coktaṃ vidureṇa ca dhīmatā ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai raja agung, tuanku tidak patut berdukacita kerana putera tuanku. Pada waktu permainan dadu, aku dan Vidura yang bijaksana telah mengatakan hal yang sama: kekanglah Duryodhana, putera tuanku yang berdosa—yang sejak lama menindas para Pāṇḍava dengan sikap bermusuhan dan hingga kini masih membenci mereka—dengan segala ikhtiar, bersama para sekutunya. Janganlah tuanku jatuh berulang-ulang ke dalam dukacita ini.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must not indulge blind attachment and repetitive grief; he must act responsibly by restraining wrongdoing—especially when wise counsel has already warned of the consequences.
Sañjaya addresses Dhṛtarāṣṭra, reminding him that during the dice-game both he and Vidura had advised the king to control Duryodhana. He urges Dhṛtarāṣṭra to stop lamenting and instead curb Duryodhana’s hostile conduct toward the Pāṇḍavas.