Shloka 56
Dambhodbhava, Nara-Nārāyaṇa, and the Counsel to Abandon Hubris
Udyoga-parva 94
सपुत्रे त्वयि वृत्तिं च वर्तते यां नराधिप । दाहितश्च निरस्तश्न त्वामेवोपाश्रित: पुन:
vaiśampāyana uvāca | saputre tvayi vṛttiṃ ca vartate yāṃ narādhipa | dāhitaś ca nirastaś ca tvām evopāśritaḥ punaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: “Ó rei, não te é desconhecida a conduta que Ajātaśatru Yudhiṣṭhira—com seus filhos—tem mostrado de modo constante para contigo. Embora tenham feito com que fosse queimado na casa de laca e depois o tenham expulsado do reino e da terra, ainda assim ele voltou novamente, buscando refúgio somente em ti.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral weight of remembering righteousness and gratitude: even after severe wrongdoing (attempted burning and exile), Yudhiṣṭhira maintains dignified, conciliatory conduct and seeks lawful refuge rather than revenge—an implicit rebuke of unjust aggression and a call to ethical kingship.
In the Udyoga Parva’s lead-up to conflict, the speaker reminds the king that Yudhiṣṭhira’s behavior toward him has been consistently respectful and restrained, despite the Pandavas having suffered the lac-house plot and expulsion; yet they return again to the same royal authority seeking protection and settlement.