Shloka 2
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 141: Bhīma–Hiḍimba Confrontation and Protective Discourse
ते कौरव्यमनुज्ञाप्य धृतराष्ट्रं नराधिपम् । दहने तु सपुत्राया: कुन्त्या बुद्धिमकारयन्,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! तदनन्तर सुबलपुत्र शकुनि, राजा दुर्योधन दुःशासन और कर्णने (आपसमें) एक दुष्टतापूर्ण गुप्त सलाह की। उन्होंने कुरुनन्दन महाराज धुृतराष्ट्रसे आज्ञा लेकर पुत्रोंसहित कुन्तीकों आगमें जला डालनेका विचार किया
te kauravyam anu jñāpya dhṛtarāṣṭraṃ narādhipam | dahane tu sa-putrāyāḥ kuntyā buddhiṃ akārayann | vaiśampāyana uvāca |
ครั้นเหล่ากุรุวงศ์นั้นได้รับความยินยอมจากธฤตราษฏระ ผู้เป็นเจ้าเหนือมนุษย์แล้ว ก็วางแผนให้กุนตีพร้อมบุตรทั้งหลายถูกเผาในกองเพลิง
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how adharma can be pursued under the cover of political legitimacy: obtaining a king’s assent does not make an act righteous. It warns that intention (buddhi) rooted in envy and fear leads to grievous wrongdoing, even when framed as statecraft.
The Kaurava faction, after securing Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s approval, forms a plan to destroy Kuntī along with her sons by burning them—foreshadowing the infamous attempt to kill the Pāṇḍavas through fire (the broader episode of the lac house plot).