Shloka 323
Dvaītavana: Brahmaghoṣa, Rṣi-saṅgha, and Baka Dālbhyā’s Upadeśa to Yudhiṣṭhira
सहदेवं वने दृष्टवा कस्मात् क्षमसि पार्थिव । महाराज युधिष्ठिर! माद्रीके परम सुन्दर पुत्र शूरवीर सहदेवको वनवासका दुःख भोगते देखकर आप शत्रुओंको क्षमा कैसे कर रहे हैं?
sahadevaṁ vane dṛṣṭvā kasmāt kṣamasi pārthiva | mahārāja yudhiṣṭhira mādrīke parama-sundara putra śūra-vīra sahadevako vanavāsakā duḥkha bhogate dekhakara āpa śatrūṅko kṣamā kaise kara rahe haiṅ? ||
毗湿摩波耶那说道：“大王啊，见到娑诃提婆在林中受苦，你为何仍行宽恕？伟大的由提施提罗王——娑诃提婆，摩德丽那位俊美无双、英勇无畏的儿子，正忍受流放的艰辛；见他如此受难，你怎还能赦宥仇敌？”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical tension between kṣamā (forgiveness/forbearance) and the demand for justice. It challenges whether a king’s patience remains righteous when it appears to prolong the suffering of the innocent—here, Sahadeva enduring exile—thus probing how dharma balances compassion, responsibility, and rightful action.
The speaker addresses King Yudhiṣṭhira, questioning his continued forgiveness toward enemies despite witnessing Sahadeva—Mādrī’s heroic son—suffer the hardships of forest exile. The line functions as a moral provocation: why tolerate or pardon adversaries when one’s own kin is paying the price?