FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.1.6

श्रीशुक उवाच यदा तु राजा स्वसुतानसाधून् पुष्णन्नधर्मेण विनष्टद‍ृष्टि: । भ्रातुर्यविष्ठस्य सुतान् विबन्धून् प्रवेश्य लाक्षाभवने ददाह ॥ ६ ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca
[shree-shuka uvaacha]
yadā tu rājā sva-sutān asādhūn
[yadaa tu raajaa sva-sutaan asaadhoon]
puṣṇan na dharmeṇa vinaṣṭa-dṛṣṭiḥ
[pushnan na dharmena vinashta-drishtih]
bhrātur yaviṣṭhasya sutān vibandhūn
[bhraatur yavishthasya sutaan vibandhoon]
praveśya lākṣā-bhavane dadāha
[praveshya laakshaa-bhavane dadaaha]
Word-for-word
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said yadā — when tu — but rājā — King Dhṛtarāṣṭra sva-sutān — his own sons asādhūn — dishonest puṣṇan — nourishing na — never dharmeṇa — on the right path vinaṣṭa-dṛṣṭiḥ — one who has lost his insight bhrātuḥ — of his brother yaviṣṭhasya — younger sutān — sons vibandhūn — having no guardian (father) praveśya — made to enter lākṣā — lacquer bhavane — in the house dadāha — set on fire.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrī-śuka uvāca
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
yadā tu rājā sva-sutān asādhūn
yadā
when
tu
but
rājā
King Dhṛtarāṣṭra
sva-sutān
his own sons
asādhūn
dishonest
puṣṇan na dharmeṇa vinaṣṭa-dṛṣṭiḥ
puṣṇan
nourishing
na
never
dharmeṇa
on the right path
vinaṣṭa-dṛṣṭiḥ
one who has lost his insight
bhrātur yaviṣṭhasya sutān vibandhūn
bhrātuḥ
of his brother
yaviṣṭhasya
younger
sutān
sons
vibandhūn
having no guardian (father)
praveśya lākṣā-bhavane dadāha
praveśya
made to enter
lākṣā
lacquer
bhavane
in the house
dadāha
set on fire.
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: King Dhṛtarāṣṭra became blind under the influence of impious desires to nourish his dishonest sons, and thus he set fire to the lacquer house to burn his fatherless nephews, the Pāṇḍavas.
Purport

Dhṛtarāṣṭra was blind from birth, but his blindness in committing impious activities to support his dishonest sons was a greater blindness than his physical lack of eyesight. The physical lack of sight does not bar one from spiritual progress. But when one is blind spiritually, even though physically fit, that blindness is dangerously detrimental to the progressive path of human life.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Śukadeva said: Dhṛtarāṣtra, blind to knowledge, supporting his own evil sons illegally, made the fatherless sons of Pāṇḍu, his younger brother, live in a lac house and burned them. The sentence ends in verse 16 with the statement Vidura left (kṣattā ayāt). Vinaṣṭa-dṛtiḥ here indicates that Dhṛtarāṣṭra had no knowledge. His younger brother was Pāṇḍu. Vibandhūn means “without a father.”
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Dhrtarastra's blindness was not in his eyes but in his heart, distorted by attachment to his sons. Physical limits never block the soul, but spiritual blindness corrupts even kings. Watch what you favor; favoritism makes you blind.
Reflection Questions
  • Whom or what do you protect so fiercely that you cannot see clearly anymore?
  • What 'small fire' have you lit, or considered lighting, to secure something for those you love?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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