Shloka 9
Dambhodbhava, Nara-Nārāyaṇa, and the Counsel to Abandon Hubris
Udyoga-parva 94
ते पुत्रास्तव कौरव्य दुर्योधनपुरोगमा: । धर्मार्थी पृष्ठत: कृत्वा प्रचरन्ति नृशंसवत्,कुरुनन्दन! दुर्योधनादि आपके पुत्र धर्म और अर्थको पीछे करके क्रूर मनुष्योंके समान आचरण करते हैं
te putrās tava kauravya duryodhana-purogamāḥ | dharmārthī pṛṣṭhataḥ kṛtvā pracaranti nṛśaṃsavat kurunandana ||
Vaiśampāyana nói: “Hỡi hậu duệ nhà Kuru, các con trai của ngài, do Duryodhana dẫn đầu, đã quẳng dharma và artha ra sau lưng, mà cư xử như những kẻ tàn bạo.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
When leaders reject dharma and treat artha as mere gain divorced from righteousness, their conduct becomes nṛśaṃsa—cruel and destructive. The verse frames ethical governance as inseparable from dharma; prosperity and policy (artha) must follow it, not replace it.
Vaiśampāyana characterizes Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons as being driven by Duryodhana’s leadership and as disregarding dharma and artha, thereby acting ruthlessly. It functions as a moral diagnosis of the Kauravas’ behavior during the tense pre-war negotiations of the Udyoga Parva.