Shloka 15
Sundopasundayor Digvijayaḥ — The Conquests of Sunda and Upasunda
Nārada’s Account
लोके प्राणभृतां कंचिच्छुत्वा कुन्तीं तथागताम् । न चापि दोषेण तथा लोको मन्येत् पुरोचनम् | यथा त्वां पुरुषव्यात्र लोको दोषेण गच्छति,गान्धारीकुमार! जबसे मैंने सुना कि कुन्तीके पुत्र लाक्षागृहकी आगमें जल गये तथा कुन्ती भी उसी अवस्थाको प्राप्त हुई है, तभीसे मैं (लज्जाके मारे) जगत॒के किसी भी प्राणीकी ओर आँख उठाकर देख नहीं सकता था। नरश्रेष्ठ] लोग इस कार्यके लिये पुरोचनको उतना दोषी नहीं मानते, जितना तुम्हें दोषी समझते हैं
loke prāṇabhṛtāṁ kaṁcic chrutvā kuntīṁ tathāgatām | na cāpi doṣeṇa tathā loko manyeta purocanam | yathā tvāṁ puruṣavyāghra loko doṣeṇa gacchati gāndhārīkumāra ||
Bhishma disse: «Depois de ouvir que Kuntī e seus filhos pereceram no fogo da casa de laca, não pude erguer os olhos para encarar qualquer ser vivo no mundo, vencido pela vergonha. Ainda assim, as pessoas não culpam Purocana por esse ato tanto quanto culpam a ti, ó tigre entre os homens, filho de Gāndhārī.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights moral accountability beyond the immediate agent: society assigns greater blame to the instigator than to the instrument. Bhīṣma’s shame underscores that complicity and courtly silence in adharma carry ethical weight.
Bhīṣma addresses a son of Gāndhārī (implicitly Duryodhana) after hearing reports that Kuntī and her sons died in the lac-house fire. He says people blame the prince more than Purocana, indicating suspicion of higher-level orchestration behind the plot.