Shloka 32
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 28: Dharmādharmalakṣaṇa in Āpad
Crisis-Discernment of Right and Wrong
तत्र राजा धृतराष्ट्र: सपुत्रो धर्म्य हरेत् पाण्डवानामकस्मात् | नावेक्षन्ते राजधर्म पुराणं तदन्वया: कुरव: सर्व एव
tatra rājā dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ saputro dharmyaṁ haret pāṇḍavānām akasmāt | nāvekṣante rājadharma-purāṇaṁ tad-anvayāḥ kuravaḥ sarva eva |
Doon, si Haring Dhṛtarāṣṭra, kasama ang kanyang mga anak, ay biglang nagpasiyang agawin ang nararapat sa mga Pāṇḍava—ang kanilang kahariang minana, na natamo ayon sa dharma. Lahat ng Kuru na sumusunod sa kanyang pamumuno ay gayon din: binabalewala nila ang sinaunang batas ng tungkulin ng hari, at tumatangging tumingin sa mga pamantayang minana ng paghahari.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must uphold rājadharma—protecting rightful inheritance and acting by established ethical norms. When a king, driven by attachment to his sons, violates justice and ignores ancient standards of governance, the entire polity follows into adharma, creating the conditions for catastrophe.
Vāyudeva points out that Dhṛtarāṣṭra, aligned with his sons, is attempting to take the Pāṇḍavas’ legitimately due ancestral kingdom. He adds that the other Kurus, following Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s lead, disregard the traditional principles of royal conduct.