आत्मजेषु परं स्नेहं सर्वभूतानि कुर्वते ॥
प्रियाणि चैषां कुर्वन्ति यथाशक्ति हितानि च ॥
एवम् एवोपकर्तॄणां प्रायशो लक्षयामहे ॥
इच्छन्ति बहुलं सन्तः प्रतिकर्तुं महत् प्रियम् ॥
अग्निः साचिव्यकर्ता स्यात् खाण्डवे तत् कृतं स्मरन् ॥
अर्जुनस्यातिभीमे ऽस्मिन् कुरुपाण्डुसमागमे ॥
जातगृध्याभिपन्नाश् च पाण्डवानाम् अनेकशः ॥
धर्मादयो भविष्यन्ति समाहूता दिवौकसः ॥
भीष्मद्रोणकृपादीनां भयाद् अशनिसंमितम् ॥
रिरक्षिषन्तः संरम्भं गमिष्यन्तीति मे मतिः ॥
ātmajeṣu paraṃ snehaṃ sarvabhūtāni kurvate ||
priyāṇi caiṣāṃ kurvanti yathāśakti hitāni ca ||
evam evopakartṝṇāṃ prāyaśo lakṣayāmahe ||
icchanti bahulaṃ santaḥ pratikartuṃ mahat priyam ||
agniḥ sācivyakartā syāt khāṇḍave tat kṛtaṃ smaran ||
arjunasyātibhīme 'smin kurupāṇḍusamāgame ||
jātagṛdhyābhipannāś ca pāṇḍavānām anekaśaḥ ||
dharmādayo bhaviṣyanti samāhūtā divaukasaḥ ||
bhīṣmadroṇakṛpādīnāṃ bhayād aśanisaṃmitam ||
rirakṣiṣantaḥ saṃrambhaṃ gamiṣyantīti me matiḥ ||
Then Partha pointed me to a golden footstool as a seat. Touching it with my hand, I sat down upon the ground. And when he removed his feet from the footstool, I saw auspicious marks on both his soles — two lengthwise lines running from heel to toe. O lord, at the sight of these young heroes seated together on the same seat — he of dark hue, tall of stature, straight as the trunks of Sala trees — great fear overcame me. They seemed to me like Indra and Vishnu sitting together, though the dull-witted Duryodhana does not know this, relying as he does on Drona and Bhishma and the loud praises of Karna. In that very moment I became convinced that the desire of righteous Yudhishthira, who has these two at his command, must surely meet with success. Having been hospitably entertained with food and drink and shown every other courtesy, I delivered your message to them, placing my joined hands upon my head.
1030990f7b43 · published Jul 17, 2026, 4:51:26 AM UTC
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This passage develops the central theme of the Udyoga-parva: the effort toward peace unfolds even as war draws inexorably near. Key figures here are the Pandavas and Bhishma. Dharma reveals itself through speech itself — the choice of an envoy, fidelity to one's word, and the responsibility kings bear for the consequences of their decisions.