सिंहासनस्थो नृपतिर् धृतराष्ट्रो महाबलः ॥
अन्वास्यमानः सततं विदुरेण महात्मना ॥
कथं तस्य कुले जातः कुलभेदं व्यवस्यसि ॥
संभूय भ्रातृभिः सार्धं भुङ्क्ष्व भोगाञ् जनाधिप ॥
ब्रवीम्य् अहं न कार्पण्यान् नार्थहेतोः कथं चन ॥
भीष्मेण दत्तम् अश्नामि न त्वया राजसत्तम ॥
नाहं त्वत्तो ऽभिकाङ्क्षिष्ये वृत्त्युपायं जनाधिप ॥
यतो भीष्मस् ततो द्रोणो यद् भीष्मस् त्व् आह तत् कुरु ॥
दीयतां पाण्डुपुत्रेभ्यो राज्यार्धम् अरिकर्शन ॥
समम् आचार्यकं तात तव तेषां च मे सदा ॥
siṃhāsanastho nṛpatir dhṛtarāṣṭro mahābalaḥ ||
anvāsyamānaḥ satataṃ vidureṇa mahātmanā ||
kathaṃ tasya kule jātaḥ kulabhedaṃ vyavasyasi ||
saṃbhūya bhrātṛbhiḥ sārdhaṃ bhuṅkṣva bhogāñ janādhipa ||
bravīmy ahaṃ na kārpaṇyān nārthahetoḥ kathaṃ cana ||
bhīṣmeṇa dattam aśnāmi na tvayā rājasattama ||
nāhaṃ tvatto 'bhikāṅkṣiṣye vṛttyupāyaṃ janādhipa ||
yato bhīṣmas tato droṇo yad bhīṣmas tv āha tat kuru ||
dīyatāṃ pāṇḍuputrebhyo rājyārdham arikarśana ||
samam ācāryakaṃ tāta tava teṣāṃ ca me sadā ||
'Mighty King Dhritarashtra sat upon the throne, ever attended by the noble-minded Vidura. How then can you, born in this very lineage, contemplate splitting the family? Join with your brothers and enjoy its blessings, O lord of men. I say this neither out of pity nor for the sake of any gain: I live on what Bhishma has given, not on what you give, O best of kings. I shall never seek from you the means of my livelihood, O lord of men. Where Bhishma stands, there Drona stands also; whatever Bhishma says, do that. Let half the kingdom be given to the sons of Pandu, O scourge of enemies. My son, my regard as a teacher for you and for them has always been equal.'
220e4dcbf3cf · published Jul 17, 2026, 6:17:17 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
In this chapter Drona, Vidura, and Gandhari, one after another, bring Duryodhana back to one and the same ground: the authority of the Kurus rests not on personal whim but on the dharma of the family, on lawful succession, and on faithfulness to one's elders. Their words show that denying the Pandavas their rightful share destroys not only the political order but the very fabric of the family.