Shloka 2
अध्याय ९ — धृतराष्ट्रस्य युधिष्ठिरं प्रति राजनित्युपदेशः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel on Royal Policy to Yudhiṣṭhira
वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! बूढ़े राजा धृतराष्ट्रके ऐसे करुणामय वचन कहनेपर नगर और जनपदके निवासी सभी लोग दुःखसे अचेत-से हो गये ।।
Vaiśampāyana uvāca—Janamejaya! vṛddhasya rājño Dhṛtarāṣṭrasyaivaṃ karuṇamayāni vacanāni śrutvā nagara-janapada-nivāsinaḥ sarve duḥkhena mūrcchitā iva babhūvuḥ. tṛṣṇīmbhūtāṃs tataḥ tāṃs tu bāṣpa-kaṇṭhān mahīpatiḥ Dhṛtarāṣṭrī mahīpālaḥ punar evābhyabhāṣata.
Vaiśampāyana nói: “Hỡi Janamejaya, khi lão vương Dhṛtarāṣṭra thốt ra những lời đầy lòng trắc ẩn như thế, toàn thể dân thành và dân quê đều bị nỗi buồn nhấn chìm, như kẻ sững sờ. Cổ họng họ nghẹn vì nước mắt, không thể nói nên lời; thấy họ lặng thinh, vua Dhṛtarāṣṭra lại cất lời lần nữa.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of compassionate speech and collective empathy: when a ruler expresses sincere karuṇā, the community responds with shared grief and silence, showing how dharma is felt not only as duty but as moral sensitivity to suffering.
After Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s moving words, the people of the city and the wider realm are so overcome with sorrow that they become speechless, their throats choked with tears. Observing their silence, Dhṛtarāṣṭra speaks to them again.