Shloka 33
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 28: Dharmādharmalakṣaṇa in Āpad
Crisis-Discernment of Right and Wrong
स्तेनो हरेद् यत्र धन हादृष्ट: प्रसह वा यत्र हरेत दृष्ट: । उभौ गह्याँ भवतः संजयैतौ कि वै पृथक्त्वं धृतराष्ट्रस्य पुत्रे
stenaḥ hared yatra dhanaṃ adṛṣṭaḥ prasaha vā yatra haret dṛṣṭaḥ | ubhau gahyau bhavataḥ sañjaya etau kiṃ vai pṛthaktvaṃ dhṛtarāṣṭrasya putre ||
Maaaring magnakaw ang isang magnanakaw kapag hindi nakikita, o maaari rin niyang agawin sa dahas kahit nakikita; sa dalawang kalagayan, siya’y kapintasan at nararapat mahuli. Sanjaya, sabihin mo—ano ba ang tunay na kaibhan ng gayong mga magnanakaw at ni Duryodhana, anak ni Dhritarashtra?
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Taking others’ property—whether secretly like a thief or openly by force like a robber—is equally unethical; power or visibility does not cleanse wrongdoing. The verse frames Duryodhana’s conduct as morally equivalent to theft.
Vayudeva addresses Sanjaya and uses an analogy of theft and robbery to argue that Duryodhana’s actions are blameworthy, challenging Sanjaya to admit there is no meaningful distinction between a common criminal and Dhritarashtra’s son in terms of adharma.