Shloka 17
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 28: Dharmādharmalakṣaṇa in Āpad
Crisis-Discernment of Right and Wrong
जानन्निमं सर्वलोकस्य धर्म विप्रेन्द्राणां क्षत्रियाणां विशां च । स कस्मात् त्वं जानतां ज्ञानवान् सन् व्यायच्छसे संजय कौरवार्थे
jānann imaṃ sarvalokasya dharmaṃ viprendrāṇāṃ kṣatriyāṇāṃ viśāṃ ca | sa kasmāt tvaṃ jānatāṃ jñānavān san vyāyacchase saṃjaya kauravārthe ||
Wika ni Vāyu: “Alam mo ang dharmang sumasandig sa lahat ng daigdig—ang wastong asal ng pinakadakila sa mga brāhmaṇa, ng mga kṣatriya, at ng mga vaiśya rin. Bakit nga ba, O Saṃjaya, kahit ikaw ay marunong at kabilang sa mga nakauunawa, pinipigil mo ang sarili at umaatras—para sa kapakanan ng mga Kaurava?”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Knowledge of dharma carries an obligation to act in alignment with it. Vāyu challenges Saṃjaya that wisdom is not merely intellectual; it should translate into ethical speech and conduct, rather than self-censorship or restraint motivated by partisan loyalty to the Kauravas.
Vāyu addresses Saṃjaya directly, reminding him that he understands the duties and ethical norms governing the major social orders (brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya). Vāyu then questions why Saṃjaya, despite being knowledgeable, is ‘holding back’ or restraining himself in a way that serves Kaurava interests—implying a tension between truth/dharma and political allegiance.