Shloka 21
Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 5 — Karmaphala-Nirdeśa and Phalāśruti (कर्मफलनिर्देशः फलश्रुतिश्च)
धृतराष्ट्रात्मजा: सर्वे यातुधाना बलोत्कटा:
dhṛtarāṣṭrātmajāḥ sarve yātudhānā balotkaṭāḥ
वैशम्पायन उवाच—धृतराष्ट्रात्मजाः सर्वे यातुधाना बलोत्कटाः। एषा पङ्क्तिः दर्शयति यत् धर्मविच्छिन्नं बलं दैत्यतुल्यं क्रौर्यमेव, न तु सत्कुलीनं तेजः, इति।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames sheer strength without righteousness as demonic ferocity. It implies that ethical quality (dharma) is the true measure of nobility; power used for cruelty is condemned through the metaphor of yātudhānas.
Vaiśampāyana characterizes Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons collectively as extremely powerful yet morally fearsome, using a demon-like epithet to emphasize their violent disposition and the ethical judgment of their conduct.