Shloka 8
कुरुवंशप्रश्नः—दुःषन्तस्य राजधर्मवर्णनम्
Kuru Lineage Inquiry and the Portrait of King Duḥṣanta’s Rule
कथं व्यसनिन द्ूुते पार्थो माद्रीसुतोौ तदा । अन्वयुस्ते नरव्याप्रा बाध्यमाना दुरात्मभि:,कुन्तीके दोनों पुत्र भीमसेन और अर्जुन तथा माद्री-नन्दन नकुल और सहदेव भी उस समय दुष्ट कौरवोंद्वारा अकारण सताये गये थे। उन चारों भाइयोंने जुएके दुर्व्यसनमें फँसे हुए राजा युधिष्ठिरका साथ क्यों दिया?
kathaṁ vyasaninī dyūte pārtho mādrīsuto tau tadā | anvayuḥ te naravyāprā bādhyamānā durātmabhiḥ ||
Janamejaya perguntou: “Como foi que, naquele tempo, quando Yudhiṣṭhira—filho de Pṛthā—caíra no vício ruinoso dos dados, e quando os filhos de Mādrī (Nakula e Sahadeva), junto com os demais irmãos, eram assediados por homens perversos, aqueles príncipes ativos e capazes ainda assim escolheram segui-lo e permanecer ao seu lado? Que laço de dharma ou dever os levou a sustentar o irmão mais velho apesar desse vício destrutivo?”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical problem: why virtuous and capable brothers remain loyal to an elder who has fallen into a destructive vice. It points to dharma-based loyalty—respect for the elder, commitment to family unity, and the duty to share consequences—while also inviting reflection on how righteousness responds to another’s moral lapse.
Janamejaya asks the narrator to explain why the Pandava brothers—especially the two sons of Mādrī—continued to accompany and support Yudhiṣṭhira during the dice-related calamity, even as the wicked Kauravas oppressed them. The question seeks the motive and dharmic rationale behind their solidarity.