Shloka 34
अध्याय ९ — धृतराष्ट्रस्य युधिष्ठिरं प्रति राजनित्युपदेशः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel on Royal Policy to Yudhiṣṭhira
नसराज्ञां वधे सूनु: कारणं ते महात्मनाम्
na sa rājñāṁ vadhe sūnuḥ kāraṇaṁ te mahātmanām
وَیشَمپایَن نے کہا: “بادشاہوں کے قتل کا سبب وہ بیٹا نہ تھا؛ ذمہ داری تو انہی عظیم النفس مردوں پر تھی۔”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse stresses ethical accountability: one should not hastily assign blame to a single ‘son’ as the cause of mass violence; the deeper responsibility rests with the principal agents—those powerful, ‘great-souled’ actors whose choices and policies lead to such outcomes.
Vaiśampāyana comments on the attribution of blame for the deaths of many kings, clarifying that the ‘son’ mentioned should not be treated as the decisive cause; the chain of events is rooted in the decisions and conduct of the leading figures (mahātmānaḥ) involved.