राज्ञस् तु वचनं श्रुत्वा विदुरो दीर्घदर्शिनीम् ॥
आनयाम् आस गान्धारीं धृतराष्ट्रस्य शासनात् ॥
धृतराष्ट्र उवाच
एष गान्धारि पुत्रस् ते दुरात्मा शासनातिगः ॥
ऐश्वर्यलोभाद् ऐश्वर्यं जीवितं च प्रहास्यति ॥
अशिष्टवद् अमर्यादः पापैः सह दुरात्मभिः ॥
सभाया निर्गतो मूढो व्यतिक्रम्य सुहृद्वचः ॥
वैशंपायन उवाच
सा भर्तुर् वचनं श्रुत्वा राजपुत्री यशस्विनी ॥
अन्विच्छन्ती महच् छ्रेयो गान्धारी वाक्यम् अब्रवीत् ॥
आनयेह सुतं क्षिप्रं राज्यकामुकम् आतुरम् ॥
न हि राज्यम् अशिष्टेन शक्यं धर्मार्थलोपिना ॥
rājñas tu vacanaṃ śrutvā viduro dīrghadarśinīm ||
ānayām āsa gāndhārīṃ dhṛtarāṣṭrasya śāsanāt ||
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca
eṣa gāndhāri putras te durātmā śāsanātigaḥ ||
aiśvaryalobhād aiśvaryaṃ jīvitaṃ ca prahāsyati ||
aśiṣṭavad amaryādaḥ pāpaiḥ saha durātmabhiḥ ||
sabhāyā nirgato mūḍho vyatikramya suhṛdvacaḥ ||
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
sā bhartur vacanaṃ śrutvā rājaputrī yaśasvinī ||
anvicchantī mahac chreyo gāndhārī vākyam abravīt ||
ānayeha sutaṃ kṣipraṃ rājyakāmukam āturam ||
na hi rājyam aśiṣṭena śakyaṃ dharmārthalopinā ||
'Having heard the king's word, Vidura brought the far-sighted Gandhari at Dhritarashtra's command. Dhritarashtra said: "Here, Gandhari, is your son: wicked-souled, transgressing instruction; out of greed for power he will forfeit both power and life. Ill-bred and without measure, together with sinful, wicked-souled companions, this fool has gone out of the assembly, disregarding the word of friends." Vaishampayana said: "Having heard her husband's word, the glorious princess Gandhari, seeking the highest good, spoke these words: 'Quickly bring here my son, who craves the kingdom and is afflicted with it. For a kingdom cannot be attained by one who is ill-bred and destroys dharma and profit.'"'
a89d1b204dfb · published Jul 17, 2026, 5:51:08 AM UTC
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Gandhari speaks as a mother and as the bearer of sober dharma: a kingdom cannot be held by will alone if a man has not conquered his own senses. The essence of her speech is not an emotional plea but a political-ethical diagnosis: desire, anger, and greed strip Duryodhana of his helpers, destroy the family, and make war inevitable.