वैशंपायन उवाच
एवम् उक्तो मुनिस् तत्त्वं कवीन्द्रो राजसत्तम ॥
पुत्रेण धृतराष्ट्रेण ध्यानम् अन्वगमत् परम् ॥
पुनर् एवाब्रवीद् वाक्यं कालवादी महातपाः ॥
असंशयं पार्थिवेन्द्र कालः संक्षिपते जगत् ॥
सृजते च पुनर् लोकान् नेह विद्यति शाश्वतम् ॥
ज्ञातीनां च कुरूणां च संबन्धिसुहृदां तथा ॥
धर्म्यं देशय पन्थानं समर्थो ह्य् असि वारणे ॥
क्षुद्रं ज्ञातिवधं प्राहुर् मा कुरुष्व ममाप्रियम् ॥
कालो ऽयं पुत्ररूपेण तव जातो विशां पते ॥
न वधः पूज्यते वेदे हितं नैतत् कथं चन ॥
हन्यात् स एव यो हन्यात् कुलधर्मं स्वकां तनुम् ॥
कालेनोत्पथगन्तासि शक्ये सति यथापथि ॥
कुलस्यास्य विनाशाय तथैव च महीक्षिताम् ॥
अनर्थो राज्यरूपेण त्यज्यताम् असुखावहः ॥
लुप्तप्रज्ञः परेणासि धर्मं दर्शय वै सुतान् ॥
किं ते राज्येन दुर्धर्ष येन प्राप्तो ऽसि किल्बिषम् ॥
यशो धर्मं च कीर्तिं च पालयन् स्वर्गम् आप्स्यसि ॥
लभन्तां पाण्डवा राज्यं शमं गच्छन्तु कौरवाः ॥
एवं ब्रुवति विप्रेन्द्रे धृतराष्ट्रो ऽम्बिकासुतः ॥
आक्षिप्य वाक्यं वाक्यज्ञो वाक्पथेनाप्य् अयात् पुनः ॥
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
evam ukto munis tattvaṃ kavīndro rājasattama ||
putreṇa dhṛtarāṣṭreṇa dhyānam anvagamat param ||
punar evābravīd vākyaṃ kālavādī mahātapāḥ ||
asaṃśayaṃ pārthivendra kālaḥ saṃkṣipate jagat ||
sṛjate ca punar lokān neha vidyati śāśvatam ||
jñātīnāṃ ca kurūṇāṃ ca saṃbandhisuhṛdāṃ tathā ||
dharmyaṃ deśaya panthānaṃ samartho hy asi vāraṇe ||
kṣudraṃ jñātivadhaṃ prāhur mā kuruṣva mamāpriyam ||
kālo 'yaṃ putrarūpeṇa tava jāto viśāṃ pate ||
na vadhaḥ pūjyate vede hitaṃ naitat kathaṃ cana ||
hanyāt sa eva yo hanyāt kuladharmaṃ svakāṃ tanum ||
kālenotpathagantāsi śakye sati yathāpathi ||
kulasyāsya vināśāya tathaiva ca mahīkṣitām ||
anartho rājyarūpeṇa tyajyatām asukhāvahaḥ ||
luptaprajñaḥ pareṇāsi dharmaṃ darśaya vai sutān ||
kiṃ te rājyena durdharṣa yena prāpto 'si kilbiṣam ||
yaśo dharmaṃ ca kīrtiṃ ca pālayan svargam āpsyasi ||
labhantāṃ pāṇḍavā rājyaṃ śamaṃ gacchantu kauravāḥ ||
evaṃ bruvati viprendre dhṛtarāṣṭro 'mbikāsutaḥ ||
ākṣipya vākyaṃ vākyajño vākpathenāpy ayāt punaḥ ||
Vaishampayana said: "O best of kings, when the son of Dhritarashtra answered the sage thus, the king of seers, having heard the truth, sank into deep contemplation. Then the great ascetic who speaks of time spoke again: 'O lord of kings, without doubt, time draws the world to its end and brings forth worlds anew; nothing here is eternal. Show the righteous path for your kinsmen, the Kurus, your relatives and friends—for you are able to restrain them. The slaughter of kinsmen is called a base deed; do not do what is displeasing to me. O lord of peoples, this time has appeared before you in the form of a son. Killing is not honored in the Veda and is never a good in any way. He who destroys the dharma of his lineage destroys his own body. While it is still possible to walk the right path, you are, with time, descending upon an evil road. The calamity that, wearing the guise of a kingdom, brings suffering and leads to the destruction of this lineage and its kings must be abandoned. You have lost your reason under another's influence: show your sons the dharma. What is the kingdom to you, O unyielding one, for the sake of which you have fallen into sin? Preserving your glory, your dharma, and your good name, you will attain heaven. Let the Pandavas receive the kingdom, and let the Kauravas come to peace.' When the best of sages spoke thus, Dhritarashtra, son of Ambika, skilled in speech, interrupted his words and again took the path of verbal argument."
42d5b87486d4 · published Jul 17, 2026, 8:37:17 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Vyasa turns the conversation from omens to responsibility. He does not let Dhritarashtra hide behind fate: time acts, but the king is still able to show the way. The central point is simple and severe: power bought at the price of the lineage's destruction is not a good but a calamity wearing the guise of a kingdom.