Shloka 23
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 72 — Bhīmasena’s counsel on conciliation and Duryodhana’s disposition
जो लोग वहाँ बुलाये गये थे, वे सभी नरेश आपको निरपराध देखकर रोते और आँसू बहाते हुए रुँँधे हुए कण्ठसे उस समय चुपचाप सभामें बैठे रहे ।।
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | ye lokāḥ tatra bulāyitāḥ te sarve nareśāḥ tvāṃ niraparādhaṃ dṛṣṭvā rudantaḥ aśrūṇi muñcantaḥ ruddha-kaṇṭhāḥ tadā tūṣṇīṃ sabhāyāṃ niṣaṇṇā babhūvuḥ || na cainam abhyānandan te rājāno brāhmaṇaiḥ saha | sarve duryodhana tatra nindanti sma sabhāsadaḥ ||
Wika ni Yudhiṣṭhira: “Ang lahat ng haring ipinatawag doon, nang makita kang walang sala, ay tahimik na naupo sa bulwagan—umiiyak, tumutulo ang luha, at nabubulunan ng dalamhati. Ni hindi siya pinapurihan ng mga haring iyon, kasama ang mga brāhmaṇa. Sa loob ng bulwagang iyon, O Duryodhana, ang lahat ng naroon ay tunay na nanunuligsa sa kanya.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral legitimacy is not secured by power or procedure: when a person is seen as blameless, the righteous—kings and brāhmaṇas alike—respond with compassion and refuse to endorse wrongdoing. Public silence and tears can signify ethical protest, while open censure marks adharma.
Yudhiṣṭhira recalls a court/assembly scene: the summoned rulers, recognizing the innocence of the wronged party, sit in grief-stricken silence. They do not praise or approve Duryodhana; instead, the assembly members criticize him for his conduct.