वैशंपायन उवाच
ततो द्रोणः सोमदत्तो बाह्लीकश् च महारथः ॥
विदुरो द्रोणपुत्रश् च वैश्यापुत्रश् च वीर्यवान् ॥
भूरिश्रवाः शांतनवो विकर्णश् च महारथः ॥
मा द्यूतम् इत्य् अभाषन्त शमो ऽस्त्व् इति च सर्वशः ॥
अकामानां च सर्वेषां सुहृदाम् अर्थदर्शिनाम् ॥
अकरोत् पाण्डवाह्वानं धृतराष्ट्रः सुतप्रियः ॥
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
tato droṇaḥ somadatto bāhlīkaś ca mahārathaḥ ||
viduro droṇaputraś ca vaiśyāputraś ca vīryavān ||
bhūriśravāḥ śāṃtanavo vikarṇaś ca mahārathaḥ ||
mā dyūtam ity abhāṣanta śamo 'stv iti ca sarvaśaḥ ||
akāmānāṃ ca sarveṣāṃ suhṛdām arthadarśinām ||
akarot pāṇḍavāhvānaṃ dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ sutapriyaḥ ||
Then Drona, Somadatta, and Bahlika the great chariot-warrior, Vidura, the son of Drona, the valiant son of the vaishya woman, Bhurishravas, descendant of Shantanu, and Vikarna the great chariot-warrior — all of them together said, "Let there be no game! Let there be peace!" But against the will of all his well-wishers, who perceived the true good, Dhritarashtra, loving his son, summoned the Pandavas.
8b4f7cf57e35 · published Jul 16, 2026, 4:12:36 PM UTC
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The voice of all the prudent is unanimous — "let there be no game, let there be peace" — yet the unanimity of the wise is powerless before a single weakness in the ruler. Here the ruinousness of partiality in one who governs stands exposed: love for a son, unrestrained by dharma, outweighs the counsel of all the worthy and leads the dynasty to ruin. It is telling that the counselors are many and they are right, while it is one man who decides — and decides wrongly: where power is blinded by love, numbers cannot overcome it with truth. The verse teaches that good counsel, when not heeded by power, does not save; that parental attachment, set above justice, becomes an instrument of doom; and that the greatest danger to a people is not a villain upon the throne, but a weak man who dares not oppose the villain he loves.