Shloka 15
Adhyāya 16 — Daiva, Kṣatriya-dharma, and Public Reassurance to Dhṛtarāṣṭra
कथं न राजवंशो<यं नश्येत् प्राप्प सुतान् मम । पाण्डोरिति मया पुत्रास्तस्मादुद्धर्षणं कृतम्
kathaṁ na rājavaṁśo ’yaṁ naśyet prāpya sutān mama | pāṇḍor iti mayā putrās tasmād uddharṣaṇaṁ kṛtam ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: “Como poderia esta linhagem real não se arruinar ao chegar aos meus filhos—os filhos de Pāṇḍu? Por isso, pensando: ‘Eles são os filhos de Pāṇḍu’, agi para lhes despertar o ânimo e fortalecer a determinação.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral-political concern: safeguarding the continuity and integrity of the royal lineage. It frames encouragement (uddharṣaṇa) as a deliberate ethical act undertaken to prevent decline when leadership passes to the next generation.
Vaiśampāyana reports a speaker’s rationale for having stirred up resolve: fearing that the dynasty might be ruined upon reaching ‘my sons’—identified as Pāṇḍu’s sons—he intentionally encouraged them, presenting motivation as a protective measure for the realm and lineage.