वैशंपायन उवाच
उपोह्यमाने द्यूते तु राजानः सर्व एव ते ॥
धृतराष्ट्रं पुरस्कृत्य विविशुस् तां सभां ततः ॥
भीष्मो द्रोणः कृपश् चैव विदुरश् च महामतिः ॥
नातीवप्रीतमनसस् ते ऽन्ववर्तन्त भारत ॥
ते द्वंद्वशः पृथक् चैव सिंहग्रीवा महौजसः ॥
सिंहासनानि भूरीणि विचित्राणि च भेजिरे ॥
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
upohyamāne dyūte tu rājānaḥ sarva eva te ||
dhṛtarāṣṭraṃ puraskṛtya viviśus tāṃ sabhāṃ tataḥ ||
bhīṣmo droṇaḥ kṛpaś caiva viduraś ca mahāmatiḥ ||
nātīvaprītamanasas te 'nvavartanta bhārata ||
te dvaṃdvaśaḥ pṛthak caiva siṃhagrīvā mahaujasaḥ ||
siṃhāsanāni bhūrīṇi vicitrāṇi ca bhejire ||
When the game had been brought [to its start], all those kings, placing Dhritarashtra at their head, entered that hall. Bhishma, Drona, Kripa, and Vidura the great-minded — not very glad in mind — followed [after them], O Bharata. And they, in pairs and singly, lion-necked and mighty, took the many variegated lion-thrones.
75a4abf07493 · published Jul 16, 2026, 4:03:36 PM UTC
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The elders enter "not very glad in mind": Bhishma, Drona, and Vidura sense the coming disaster, yet still take their seats as witnesses. This bitter presence is telling — the wise of the court, foreseeing evil but powerless to avert it, take their places in silence. The verse teaches of the tragedy of powerless wisdom: to know that wrong is being done, to grieve over it — and still be present by duty of rank. Their joylessness is a silent reproach to what is happening. But history will weigh their silence too: one who, seeing evil, only grieves and sits down to watch is not wholly innocent, though not a villain either. The presence of the righteous at an unrighteous act is a bitter sign that even the good are sometimes bound by ties that do not let them stand against disaster.