युधिष्ठिर उवाच
श्रुतं ते धृतराष्ट्रस्य सपुत्रस्य चिकीर्षितम् ॥
एतद् धि सकलं कृष्ण संजयो मां यद् अब्रवीत् ॥
तन् मतं धृतराष्ट्रस्य सो ऽस्यात्मा विवृतान्तरः ॥
यथोक्तं दूत आचष्टे वध्यः स्याद् अन्यथा ब्रुवन् ॥
अप्रदानेन राज्यस्य शान्तिम् अस्मासु मार्गति ॥
लुब्धः पापेन मनसा चरन्न् असमम् आत्मनः ॥
यत् तद् द्वादश वर्षाणि वने निर्व्युषिता वयम् ॥
छद्मना शरदं चैकां धृतराष्ट्रस्य शासनात् ॥
स्थाता नः समये तस्मिन् धृतराष्ट्र इति प्रभो ॥
नाहास्म समयं कृष्ण तद् धि नो ब्राह्मणा विदुः ॥
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca
śrutaṃ te dhṛtarāṣṭrasya saputrasya cikīrṣitam ||
etad dhi sakalaṃ kṛṣṇa saṃjayo māṃ yad abravīt ||
tan mataṃ dhṛtarāṣṭrasya so 'syātmā vivṛtāntaraḥ ||
yathoktaṃ dūta ācaṣṭe vadhyaḥ syād anyathā bruvan ||
apradānena rājyasya śāntim asmāsu mārgati ||
lubdhaḥ pāpena manasā carann asamam ātmanaḥ ||
yat tad dvādaśa varṣāṇi vane nirvyuṣitā vayam ||
chadmanā śaradaṃ caikāṃ dhṛtarāṣṭrasya śāsanāt ||
sthātā naḥ samaye tasmin dhṛtarāṣṭra iti prabho ||
nāhāsma samayaṃ kṛṣṇa tad dhi no brāhmaṇā viduḥ ||
Yudhishthira said: "I have heard the intention of Dhritarashtra and his son — all of it, O Krishna, just as Sanjaya related it to me. That is the opinion of Dhritarashtra, and it lays bare his inner mind: 'The envoy speaks as he was instructed; were he to say otherwise, he would deserve death.' By withholding our kingdom he seeks peace with us — greedy, wandering with a wicked mind, seeking what is unjust for himself. We spent those twelve years in the forest, and one further year in disguise, by the command of Dhritarashtra. 'We will keep to that agreed time,' he said, O lord — and indeed we did not break our word, as the brahmanas among us know well."
3a35e5053826 · published Jul 17, 2026, 4:56:09 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 near and seems unavoidable. Key themes: Krishna, Dhritarashtra, Sanjaya. Dharma here comes to light through speech, the choice of envoys, faithfulness to promises, and the responsibility kings bear for the consequences of their decisions.