Shloka 40
Dambhodbhava, Nara-Nārāyaṇa, and the Counsel to Abandon Hubris
Udyoga-parva 94
आहुस्त्वां पाण्डवा राजन्नभिवाद्य प्रसाद्य च | भवत: शासनाद् दुःखमनुभूतं सहानुगै:,राजन! पाण्डवोंने आपको प्रणाम करके प्रसन्न करते हुए यह संदेश कहलाया है --'तात! आपकी आज्ञासे अनुचरोंसहित हमने भारी दुःख सहन किया है
āhus tvāṃ pāṇḍavā rājann abhivādya prasādya ca | bhavataḥ śāsanād duḥkham anubhūtaṃ sahānugaiḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana nói: “Tâu Đại vương, các Pāṇḍava đã gửi đến ngài lời nhắn này sau khi cúi đầu kính lễ và cố làm đẹp lòng ngài: ‘Thưa phụ vương, vâng theo mệnh lệnh của người, chúng con đã chịu đựng nỗi khổ nặng nề, cùng với các tùy tùng của mình.’”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical ideal of honoring authority with respectful speech while also truthfully reporting the consequences of that authority’s command—obedience to royal instruction can entail real suffering, borne not only by leaders but also by their dependents.
Vaiśampāyana reports that the Pāṇḍavas have conveyed a formal message to the addressed king: after saluting and seeking his goodwill, they state that they have endured great hardship, along with their attendants, because they followed his order.