Shloka 21
शल्यपर्व — चतुर्विंशोऽध्यायः | Śalya Parva, Chapter 24: Disruption of Kaurava Formations and the Elephant Encirclement
उक्त भीष्मेण यद् वाक््यं हितं तथ्यं च माधव । तच्चापि नासौ कृतवान् वीतबुद्धिः सुयोधन:
uktaṃ bhīṣmeṇa yad vākyaṃ hitaṃ tathyaṃ ca mādhava | taccāpi nāsau kṛtavān vītabuddhiḥ suyodhanaḥ ||
Sañjaya nói: “Ôi Mādhava, lời khuyên của Bhīṣma—đúng đắn và lợi ích—cũng không được Suyodhana, kẻ đã bị cuốn trôi mất sự phán đoán, đem ra thực hành.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even truthful and welfare-oriented counsel fails when a leader’s discernment is lost; ignoring wise advice out of pride or delusion leads to ruin, especially in matters of dharma and war.
Sañjaya addresses Kṛṣṇa (Mādhava) and remarks that Duryodhana (Suyodhana), having lost good judgment, did not act upon Bhīṣma’s beneficial and truthful counsel—highlighting the Kaurava’s obstinacy amid the war context.