माद्रीसुतौ चापि रणाजिमध्ये; सर्वा दिशः संपतन्तौ स्मरन्ति ॥
सेनां वर्षन्तौ शरवर्षैर् अजस्रं; महारथौ समरे दुष्प्रकम्प्यौ ॥
न त्व् एव मन्ये पुरुषस्य राजन्न्; अनागतं ज्ञायते यद् भविष्यम् ॥
त्वं चेद् इमं सर्वधर्मोपपन्नः; प्राप्तः क्लेशं पाण्डव कृच्छ्ररूपम् ॥
त्वम् एवैतत् सर्वम् अतश् च भूयः; समीकुर्याः प्रज्ञयाजातशत्रो ॥
न कामार्थं संत्यजेयुर् हि धर्मं; पाण्डोः सुताः सर्व एवेन्द्रकल्पाः ॥
त्वम् एवैतत् प्रज्ञयाजातशत्रो; शमं कुर्या येन शर्माप्नुयुस् ते ॥
धार्तराष्ट्राः पाण्डवाः सृञ्जयाश् च; ये चाप्य् अन्ये पार्थिवाः संनिविष्टाः ॥
यन् माब्रवीद् धृतराष्ट्रो निशायाम्; अजातशत्रो वचनं पिता ते ॥
सहामात्यः सहपुत्रश् च राजन्; समेत्य तां वाचम् इमां निबोध ॥
mādrīsutau cāpi raṇājimadhye; sarvā diśaḥ saṃpatantau smaranti ||
senāṃ varṣantau śaravarṣair ajasraṃ; mahārathau samare duṣprakampyau ||
na tv eva manye puruṣasya rājann; anāgataṃ jñāyate yad bhaviṣyam ||
tvaṃ ced imaṃ sarvadharmopapannaḥ; prāptaḥ kleśaṃ pāṇḍava kṛcchrarūpam ||
tvam evaitat sarvam ataś ca bhūyaḥ; samīkuryāḥ prajñayājātaśatro ||
na kāmārthaṃ saṃtyajeyur hi dharmaṃ; pāṇḍoḥ sutāḥ sarva evendrakalpāḥ ||
tvam evaitat prajñayājātaśatro; śamaṃ kuryā yena śarmāpnuyus te ||
dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ pāṇḍavāḥ sṛñjayāś ca; ye cāpy anye pārthivāḥ saṃniviṣṭāḥ ||
yan mābravīd dhṛtarāṣṭro niśāyām; ajātaśatro vacanaṃ pitā te ||
sahāmātyaḥ sahaputraś ca rājan; sametya tāṃ vācam imāṃ nibodha ||
They remember those mighty chariot-warriors, the two sons of Madri, who on the battlefield surged in every direction, pouring an unceasing rain of arrows upon the enemy host, and who never knew what it was to tremble in battle. I do not think, O king, that what the Future holds in store for any particular man can ever be known, since you, O son of Pandu, endowed with every virtue, have had to endure hardship of so unbearable a kind. All this, O Yudhishthira, you will no doubt set right again through your own wisdom. The sons of Pandu, all equal to Indra, would never abandon virtue for the sake of pleasure. You, O Yudhishthira, will so order your mind with wisdom that all of them -- namely, the sons of Dhritarashtra, the Pandavas, the Srinjayas, and all the other kings assembled here -- shall find peace. O Yudhishthira, hear now what your father Dhritarashtra said to me in the night, having taken counsel with his ministers and his sons. Attend to it closely as well.
4b8aa16bad28 · published Jul 17, 2026, 3:43:08 AM UTC
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This passage (5.24.6-10) develops the central theme of the Udyoga-parva: the effort toward peace unfolds even as war draws inevitably near. Key themes: the Pandavas, Dhritarashtra, dharma. Here dharma reveals itself through speech, through the choice of an embassy, through fidelity to one's word, and through the responsibility of kings for the consequences of their decisions.