Shloka 7
Droṇa–Vidura–Gāndhārī Counsel in the Royal Assembly (धर्मार्थयुक्ता सभा-उपदेश-प्रकरणम्)
युधिष्टिर उवाच तस्मिन्नुत्पथमापन्ने कुरुवृद्धः पितामह: । किमुक्तवान् हृषीकेश दुर्योधनममर्षणम्
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: tasminn utpatham āpanne kuru-vṛddhaḥ pitāmahaḥ | kim uktavān Hṛṣīkeśa Duryodhanam amarṣaṇam ||
Yudhiṣṭhira nói: “Hỡi Hṛṣīkeśa, khi Duryodhana đã bước vào con đường tà vạy, thì bậc tổ phụ Bhīṣma—bậc trưởng lão của dòng Kuru—đã nói gì với Duryodhana đầy oán hận, không biết nhẫn nhịn ấy?”
युधिष्टिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a moral inquiry: when a leader abandons dharma and embraces a wrongful course (utpatha), the duty of elders and guardians of tradition is to admonish and counsel him. It highlights accountability, ethical governance, and the importance of corrective advice before conflict becomes inevitable.
Yudhiṣṭhira questions Kṛṣṇa about a prior moment: as Duryodhana turned toward wrongdoing, what counsel Bhīṣma—the revered elder of the Kurus—gave him. The question sets up a recollection of Bhīṣma’s admonition and the moral tensions leading toward war.