Shloka 20
Arjuna Restores a Brāhmaṇa’s Cattle and Accepts Forest Exile
Satya-vrata at Khaṇḍavaprastha
धृतराष्ट्रश्न पाउ्चाल्य त्वया सम्बन्धमीयिवान् । कृतार्थ मन्यते55त्मानं तथा सर्वेडपि कौरवा:,पांचालनरेश! राजा धृतराष्ट्र आपके सम्बन्धी होकर अपने-आपको कृतार्थ मानते हैं। यही दशा समस्त कौरवोंकी है
Dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ pāñcālya tvayā sambandham īyivān | kṛtārthaṃ manyate ātmānaṃ tathā sarve ’pi kauravāḥ ||
Wika ni Vidura: “O hari ng mga Pāñcāla, si Dhṛtarāṣṭra, nang makapasok sa ugnayang-kamag-anakan sa iyo, ay inaakalang ganap na ang kanyang layon. Gayon din, ang lahat ng mga Kaurava ay tumitingin na natupad ang kanilang hangarin sa pamamagitan ng alyansang ito.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how royal houses measure success through strategic kinship and alliances; Vidura’s framing implicitly invites ethical scrutiny—whether political “fulfillment” grounded in alliance serves dharma or merely ambition.
Vidura addresses the Pāñcāla king and notes that Dhṛtarāṣṭra and the Kauravas feel gratified because they have secured a familial connection with the Pāñcālas, treating the relationship as a major political gain.