Shloka 8
Dambhodbhava, Nara-Nārāyaṇa, and the Counsel to Abandon Hubris
Udyoga-parva 94
त्वं हि धारयिता श्रेष्ठ: कुरूणां कुरुसत्तम | मिथ्या प्रचरतां तात बाहोष्वाभ्यन्तरेषु च
tvaṁ hi dhārayitā śreṣṭhaḥ kurūṇāṁ kurusattama | mithyā pracaratāṁ tāta bāhoṣv ābhyantareṣu ca ||
“Pois tu és o mais eminente sustentáculo dos Kurus, ó melhor da linhagem Kuru. Meu caro, quando os Kauravas começarem a agir com falsidade—às claras e também em segredo, por fora e por dentro—és tu quem deve contê-los e recolocá-los no caminho reto.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral authority carries the duty of restraint: the foremost elder or leader must check wrongdoing not only in public acts but also in hidden, inward schemes, and restore the community to dharma.
Vaiśampāyana, narrating the events of the Udyoga Parva, describes an address to a Kuru-elder/leader, emphasizing that when the Kauravas drift into false conduct—openly or secretly—this person is expected to curb them and re-establish righteous conduct.