वैशंपायन उवाच
तथा तु पृच्छन्तम् अतीव पार्थान्; वैचित्रवीर्यं तम् अचिन्तयित्वा ॥
उवाच कर्णो धृतराष्ट्रपुत्रं; प्रहर्षयन् संसदि कौरवाणाम् ॥
मिथ्या प्रतिज्ञाय मया यद् अस्त्रं; रामाद् धृतं ब्रह्मपुरं पुरस्तात् ॥
विज्ञाय तेनास्मि तदैवम् उक्तस्; तवान्तकाले ऽप्रतिभास्यतीति ॥
महापराधे ह्य् अपि संनतेन; महर्षिणाहं गुरुणा च शप्तः ॥
शक्तः प्रदग्धुं ह्य् अपि तिग्मतेजाः; ससागराम् अप्य् अवनिं महर्षिः ॥
प्रसादितं ह्य् अस्य मया मनो ऽभूच्; छुश्रूषया स्वेन च पौरुषेण ॥
ततस् तद् अस्त्रं मम सावशेषं; तस्मात् समर्थो ऽस्मि ममैष भारः ॥
निमेषमात्रं तम् ऋषिप्रसादम्; अवाप्य पाञ्चालकरूषमत्स्यान् ॥
निहत्य पार्थांश् च सपुत्रपौत्रांल्; लोकान् अहं शस्त्रजितान् प्रपत्स्ये ॥
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
tathā tu pṛcchantam atīva pārthān; vaicitravīryaṃ tam acintayitvā ||
uvāca karṇo dhṛtarāṣṭraputraṃ; praharṣayan saṃsadi kauravāṇām ||
mithyā pratijñāya mayā yad astraṃ; rāmād dhṛtaṃ brahmapuraṃ purastāt ||
vijñāya tenāsmi tadaivam uktas; tavāntakāle 'pratibhāsyatīti ||
mahāparādhe hy api saṃnatena; maharṣiṇāhaṃ guruṇā ca śaptaḥ ||
śaktaḥ pradagdhuṃ hy api tigmatejāḥ; sasāgarām apy avaniṃ maharṣiḥ ||
prasāditaṃ hy asya mayā mano 'bhūc; chuśrūṣayā svena ca pauruṣeṇa ||
tatas tad astraṃ mama sāvaśeṣaṃ; tasmāt samartho 'smi mamaiṣa bhāraḥ ||
nimeṣamātraṃ tam ṛṣiprasādam; avāpya pāñcālakarūṣamatsyān ||
nihatya pārthāṃś ca saputrapautrāṃl; lokān ahaṃ śastrajitān prapatsye ||
Vaishampayana said: 'Hearing these words of his father, the passionate son of Dhritarashtra, blazing with great anger, again spoke words of envy: "You think that the Parthas, having the gods as their allies, cannot be defeated. Let this fear of yours, O best of kings, be dispelled. The gods attained their godhood through freedom from desire, greed, and enmity, and through their indifference to all worldly affairs. This was told to us long ago by Dvaipayana-Vyasa and Narada, the great ascetics, and by Rama, the son of Jamadagni. The gods never wish that men should act out of desire, anger, greed, or envy, O bull of the Bharata race. Indeed, if Agni, or Vayu, or Dharma, or Indra, or the Ashvins had ever acted from worldly desires, then the sons of Pritha would never have fallen into misfortune. Therefore do not give yourself over to such anxiety in any way, for the gods, O Bharata, always keep their gaze fixed upon deeds worthy of themselves. And should envy or lust ever be seen in the gods, arising from their yielding to desire, then, according to what is ordained by the gods themselves, such envy or lust could never prevail."'
ced77345d8ee · published Jul 17, 2026, 4:56:08 AM UTC
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This passage (5.61.1-5) develops the central theme of the Udyoga-parva: the effort for peace unfolds against the backdrop of an already inevitable war. Key figures: Dhritarashtra, Karna. Dharma is revealed here through speech, the choice of embassy, faithfulness to one's word, and the responsibility of kings for the consequences of their decisions.