Shloka 36
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 130: Kuntī’s Instruction on Rājadharma and Daṇḍanīti
वैशम्पायन उवाच ततोअब्रवीन्महाबाहुर्धतराष्ट्रं जनार्दन: । द्रोणं पितामहं भीष्म क्षत्तारं बाह्लिकं कृपम्,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! तदनन्तर महाबाहु श्रीकृष्णने राजा धृतराष्टर, आचार्य द्रोण, पितामह भीष्म, विदुर, बाह्नलीक तथा कृपाचार्यसे कहा--
vaiśampāyana uvāca | tato 'bravīn mahābāhur dhṛtarāṣṭraṃ janārdanaḥ | droṇaṃ pitāmahaṃ bhīṣmaṃ kṣattāraṃ bāhlikaṃ kṛpam |
Vaiśampāyana disse: Então Janārdana (Kṛṣṇa), de braços poderosos, dirigiu-se ao rei Dhṛtarāṣṭra—bem como a Droṇa, ao venerável avô Bhīṣma, a Vidura (o camareiro real), a Bāhlika e a Kṛpa.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds ethical governance: when a society nears conflict, those with authority—king, teachers, and elders—must be directly addressed and held accountable. Kṛṣṇa’s approach implies that dharma is safeguarded not only by power but by wise counsel and the moral courage of senior leaders to restrain injustice.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Kṛṣṇa begins speaking to Dhṛtarāṣṭra and the principal Kuru elders (Droṇa, Bhīṣma, Vidura, Bāhlika, and Kṛpa). This sets up a formal admonition/counsel in the royal assembly as negotiations and tensions intensify before the Kurukṣetra war.