विचित्रम् इदम् आश्चर्यं मृगहन् प्रतिभाति मे ॥
प्लवमानौ हि खचरौ पदातिर् अनुधावसि ॥
शाकुनिक उवाच
पाशम् एकम् उभाव् एतौ सहितौ हरतो मम ॥
यत्र वै विवदिष्येते तत्र मे वशम् एष्यतः ॥
विदुर उवाच
तौ विवादम् अनुप्राप्तौ शकुनौ मृत्युसंधितौ ॥
विगृह्य च सुदुर्बुद्धी पृथिव्यां संनिपेततुः ॥
तौ युध्यमानौ संरब्धौ मृत्युपाशवशानुगौ ॥
उपसृत्यापरिज्ञातो जग्राह मृगयुस् तदा ॥
एवं ये ज्ञातयो ऽर्थेषु मिथो गच्छन्ति विग्रहम् ॥
ते ऽमित्रवशम् आयान्ति शकुनाव् इव विग्रहात् ॥
vicitram idam āścaryaṃ mṛgahan pratibhāti me ||
plavamānau hi khacarau padātir anudhāvasi ||
śākunika uvāca
pāśam ekam ubhāv etau sahitau harato mama ||
yatra vai vivadiṣyete tatra me vaśam eṣyataḥ ||
vidura uvāca
tau vivādam anuprāptau śakunau mṛtyusaṃdhitau ||
vigṛhya ca sudurbuddhī pṛthivyāṃ saṃnipetatuḥ ||
tau yudhyamānau saṃrabdhau mṛtyupāśavaśānugau ||
upasṛtyāparijñāto jagrāha mṛgayus tadā ||
evaṃ ye jñātayo 'rtheṣu mitho gacchanti vigraham ||
te 'mitravaśam āyānti śakunāv iva vigrahāt ||
'Let this task be mine.' So saying, Bhishma asked: 'What do you say, O Karna?' Your mind grows clouded as your hour draws near. Do you not know, O Karna, that when the leader is slain, all the sons of Dhritarashtra will be slain? Having heard of the feat accomplished by Dhananjaya, with Krishna alone as his ally, in the burning of the Khandava forest, you ought, together with your friends and kinsmen, to restrain your mind. The shaft that the illustrious and adored lord of the gods, the great Indra, gave you will, as you shall see, be shattered and reduced to ashes when struck by Keshava's discus.
d524fdff8eec · published Jul 17, 2026, 4:56:08 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
This passage (5.62.11–15) continues the central theme of the Udyoga-parva: the effort toward peace unfolds even as war draws inevitably near. Key themes: Vidura, peace. Here dharma reveals itself through speech, the choice of envoys, fidelity to one's word, and the responsibility of kings for the consequences of their decisions.