Mahabharata 3.239.20 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 239, Shloka 20
दुर्योधनस्य प्रायोपवेशः — शकुनिसान्त्वनम् तथा कृत्याह्वानम्
Duryodhana’s Fast: Śakuni’s Consolation and the Summoning of a Kṛtyā
उचितं हि सदा गन्तुं घोषयात्रां विशाम्पते | एवं च त्वां पिता राजन् समनुज्ञातुमहति
ucitaṃ hi sadā gantuṃ ghoṣayātrāṃ viśāmpate | evaṃ ca tvāṃ pitā rājan samanujñātum arhati ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai tuan rakyat, adalah sentiasa wajar pergi dalam perjalanan meninjau penempatan gembala untuk memeriksa kawanan. Dan dengan alasan ini, wahai raja, ayahanda tuanku patut memberi izin kepada tuanku untuk pergi ke sana.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a practical, socially acceptable reason—inspecting the cattle at a ghoṣa—as a dharmically ‘proper’ pretext by which a prince/king may seek legitimate permission from his father, showing how duty and prudence can be aligned with accepted norms.
Vaiśampāyana advises that a visit to the cowherd settlement is inherently appropriate and can be presented as the stated purpose of travel; therefore the addressee’s father, the king, can reasonably authorize the journey.
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