Shloka 29
Adhyāya 123 — Droṇa’s Pedagogy: Arjuna’s Preeminence, Ekalavya’s Self-Training, and the Bhāsa-Lakṣya Trial
ब्राह्मणानां गवां चैव सुह्दां चार्थसाधकम् | दुर्ददां शोकजननं सर्वबान्धवनन्दनम्
brāhmaṇānāṁ gavāṁ caiva suhṛdāṁ cārthasādhakam | durdadāṁ śokajananaṁ sarvabāndhavanandanam ||
یہ عمل برہمنوں، گایوں اور خیرخواہوں تک کو متاثر کرتا ہے؛ جو حقیقتاً فلاح کا سبب بنتا ہے اسے بھی کمزور کر دیتا ہے۔ اسے چھوڑنا دشوار ہے، مگر یہ غم کو جنم دیتا ہے، اور (عارضی طور پر) تمام رشتہ داروں کو خوش کرتا ہے۔
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Śakra highlights an ethically dangerous tendency: some actions or attachments may feel family-pleasing and hard to relinquish, yet they harm the vulnerable (Brahmins and cattle), disregard true well-wishers, and ultimately generate grief rather than genuine welfare (artha).
Indra (Śakra), speaking in Adi Parva, warns about a course of conduct whose immediate social approval (especially among relatives) masks its harmful consequences—injury to protected groups and the erosion of what truly leads to well-being—thereby framing a moral evaluation within the ongoing story context.