ते वयं न श्रियं हातुम् अलं न्यायेन केन चित् ॥
अत्र नो यतमानानां वधश् चेद् अपि साधु तत् ॥
तत्र नः प्रथमः कल्पो यद् वयं ते च माधव ॥
प्रशान्ताः समभूताश् च श्रियं तान् अश्नुवीमहि ॥
तत्रैषा परमा काष्ठा रौद्रकर्मक्षयोदया ॥
यद् वयं कौरवान् हत्वा तानि राष्ट्राण्य् अशीमहि ॥
ये पुनः स्युर् असंबद्धा अनार्याः कृष्ण शत्रवः ॥
तेषाम् अप्य् अवधः कार्यः किं पुनर् ये स्युर् ईदृशाः ॥
ज्ञातयश् च हि भूयिष्ठाः सहाया गुरवश् च नः ॥
तेषां वधो ऽतिपापीयान् किं नु युद्धे ऽस्ति शोभनम् ॥
te vayaṃ na śriyaṃ hātum alaṃ nyāyena kena cit ||
atra no yatamānānāṃ vadhaś ced api sādhu tat ||
tatra naḥ prathamaḥ kalpo yad vayaṃ te ca mādhava ||
praśāntāḥ samabhūtāś ca śriyaṃ tān aśnuvīmahi ||
tatraiṣā paramā kāṣṭhā raudrakarmakṣayodayā ||
yad vayaṃ kauravān hatvā tāni rāṣṭrāṇy aśīmahi ||
ye punaḥ syur asaṃbaddhā anāryāḥ kṛṣṇa śatravaḥ ||
teṣām apy avadhaḥ kāryaḥ kiṃ punar ye syur īdṛśāḥ ||
jñātayaś ca hi bhūyiṣṭhāḥ sahāyā guravaś ca naḥ ||
teṣāṃ vadho 'tipāpīyān kiṃ nu yuddhe 'sti śobhanam ||
We ourselves are not willing to give up our prosperity by any means that is just. If, in striving for it, death should come to us here, even that would be good. Yet our first choice, O Madhava, would be that we and they become at peace and equal, and that all of us attain prosperity together. But there is also this — the highest and utmost course, one that arises only from the end of dreadful deeds: that we slay the Kauravas and take their kingdoms for ourselves. As for those who might be enemies unconnected to us by kinship and unworthy of the noble, O Krishna, even they should not be needlessly slain — how much more so those who are our own kin, our helpers and elders in greatest number! To slay them would be a most grievous sin. What glory, indeed, is there in war?
178460fcf0a2 · 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, war. 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.