Shloka 2
नलदमयन्त्युपाख्यानम्—नलप्रशंसा हंसदूतवृत्तान्तः
Nala–Damayantī Upākhyāna: Praise of Nala and the Swan-Messenger Episode
कथं च राजा पुत्र तमुपेक्षेताल्पचेतसम् । दुर्योधनं पाण्डुपुत्रान् कोपयानं महारथान्,उस मन्दबुद्धि राजकुमार दुर्योधनको ही किसी तरह त्याग देना उनके लिये सर्वथा उचित था जो महारथी पाण्डवोंको अपने दुर्व्यवहारसे कुपित करता जा रहा था
kathaṃ ca rājā putra tam upekṣetālpacetasam | duryodhanaṃ pāṇḍuputrān kopayānaṃ mahārathān ||
Janamejaya perguntou: “Como pôde o rei ignorar aquele filho—Duryodhana, de mente estreita—que, por sua má conduta, não cessava de provocar os príncipes Pāṇḍava, grandes guerreiros de carro? Não teria sido justo, pelo bem da justiça e do reino, que o rei contivesse ou até afastasse tal príncipe insensato?”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s duty (rājadharma) includes restraining harmful conduct even when it comes from one’s own child. Indulgence toward a foolish, provocative heir becomes complicity in injustice and endangers the kingdom.
Janamejaya challenges the moral logic of the situation: he asks how the king could keep overlooking Duryodhana’s small-minded behavior as it repeatedly angered the powerful Pāṇḍavas, thereby intensifying hostility and pushing events toward open conflict.