Shloka 9
उद्योगपर्व — विदुरोक्तिः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra Addressed on Sincerity, Hospitality, and Settlement
आविकं च सुखस्पर्श पार्वतीयैरुपाह्तम् । तदप्यस्मै प्रदास्यामि सहस्राणि दशाष्ट च
āvikaṃ ca sukhasparśaṃ pārvatīyair upāhṛtam | tad apy asmai pradāsyāmi sahasrāṇi daśāṣṭa ca ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra disse: “Darei também coberturas de lã, macias ao toque, trazidas como dádiva pelos povos das montanhas. Dentre elas, oferecerei de presente dezoito mil mantas.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Material generosity and political gifting cannot substitute for dharma. Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s lavish offers show an attempt to manage a moral crisis through wealth and appeasement, while the epic’s ethical pressure points toward justice, rightful restitution, and truthful commitment rather than transactional persuasion.
During Kṛṣṇa’s peace mission in the Udyoga Parva, Dhṛtarāṣṭra enumerates costly gifts he intends to present to Kṛṣṇa. Here he adds soft woollen blankets received from mountain folk, specifying that he will give eighteen thousand of them.