Shloka 2
अध्याय ९ — धृतराष्ट्रस्य युधिष्ठिरं प्रति राजनित्युपदेशः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel on Royal Policy to Yudhiṣṭhira
वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! बूढ़े राजा धृतराष्ट्रके ऐसे करुणामय वचन कहनेपर नगर और जनपदके निवासी सभी लोग दुःखसे अचेत-से हो गये ।।
Vaiśampāyana uvāca—Janamejaya! vṛddhasya rājño Dhṛtarāṣṭrasyaivaṃ karuṇamayāni vacanāni śrutvā nagara-janapada-nivāsinaḥ sarve duḥkhena mūrcchitā iva babhūvuḥ. tṛṣṇīmbhūtāṃs tataḥ tāṃs tu bāṣpa-kaṇṭhān mahīpatiḥ Dhṛtarāṣṭrī mahīpālaḥ punar evābhyabhāṣata.
毗舍波耶那说：“噢，阇那弥阇耶，当年迈的持国王说出这般悲悯之言时，城中与乡野的百姓尽皆为哀痛所压，恍若惊惶失神。他们喉间被泪水哽塞，不能出声；见众人默然，持国王便又一次开口。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of compassionate speech and collective empathy: when a ruler expresses sincere karuṇā, the community responds with shared grief and silence, showing how dharma is felt not only as duty but as moral sensitivity to suffering.
After Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s moving words, the people of the city and the wider realm are so overcome with sorrow that they become speechless, their throats choked with tears. Observing their silence, Dhṛtarāṣṭra speaks to them again.