Shloka 23
Vyāsa’s Inquiry into Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Tapas and the Identification of Vidura with Dharma
“भरतश्रेष्ठ! प्रभो! तुमने राजनीति बहुत बार सुनी है; अतः तुम्हें संदेश देने लायक कोई बात मुझे नहीं दिखायी देती। तुमने मेरे लिये बहुत कुछ किया है ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca | ity uktavacanaṃ taṃ tu nṛpo rājānam abravīt | na mām arhasi dharmajña parityaktuṃ anāgasam ||
“婆罗多族之最胜者，主啊！汝屡闻治国之道；故我不见尚有可传之言。汝为我已多所尽力。”毗舍波耶那曰：当国王持国（Dhṛtarāṣṭra）说罢此言，国王坚战（Yudhiṣṭhira）便对他说道：“知法者啊，你不应弃我而去，因为我全然无过。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical appeal rooted in dharma: one should not abandon a blameless person, especially when bonds of duty and care remain. Yudhiṣṭhira frames the relationship in moral terms—responsibility should be guided by righteousness rather than withdrawal or resentment.
After Dhṛtarāṣṭra has spoken (in context, about leaving/withdrawing), Yudhiṣṭhira responds directly, addressing him as a knower of dharma and pleading that he not forsake him, asserting his own innocence (anāgasa). Vaiśampāyana narrates this exchange to Janamejaya.