वैशंपायन उवाच
प्रविश्याथ गृहं तस्याश् चरणाव् अभिवाद्य च ॥
आचख्यौ तत् समासेन यद् वृत्तं कुरुसंसदि ॥
वासुदेव उवाच
उक्तं बहुविधं वाक्यं ग्रहणीयं सहेतुकम् ॥
ऋषिभिश् च मया चैव न चासौ तद् गृहीतवान् ॥
कालपक्वम् इदं सर्वं दुर्योधनवशानुगम् ॥
आपृच्छे भवतीं शीघ्रं प्रयास्ये पाण्डवान् प्रति ॥
किं वाच्याः पाण्डवेयास् ते भवत्या वचनान् मया ॥
तद् ब्रूहि त्वं महाप्राज्ञे शुश्रूषे वचनं तव ॥
कुन्त्य् उवाच
ब्रूयाः केशव राजानं धर्मात्मानं युधिष्ठिरम् ॥
भूयांस् ते हीयते धर्मो मा पुत्रक वृथा कृथाः ॥
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
praviśyātha gṛhaṃ tasyāś caraṇāv abhivādya ca ||
ācakhyau tat samāsena yad vṛttaṃ kurusaṃsadi ||
vāsudeva uvāca
uktaṃ bahuvidhaṃ vākyaṃ grahaṇīyaṃ sahetukam ||
ṛṣibhiś ca mayā caiva na cāsau tad gṛhītavān ||
kālapakvam idaṃ sarvaṃ duryodhanavaśānugam ||
āpṛcche bhavatīṃ śīghraṃ prayāsye pāṇḍavān prati ||
kiṃ vācyāḥ pāṇḍaveyās te bhavatyā vacanān mayā ||
tad brūhi tvaṃ mahāprājñe śuśrūṣe vacanaṃ tava ||
kunty uvāca
brūyāḥ keśava rājānaṃ dharmātmānaṃ yudhiṣṭhiram ||
bhūyāṃs te hīyate dharmo mā putraka vṛthā kṛthāḥ ||
Vaishampayana said: Then Krishna entered the house of Kunti, bowed to her feet, and briefly related all that had happened in the assembly of the Kurus. Vasudeva said: "Many different words, worthy of acceptance and supported by reasons, were spoken by the sages and by me, but Duryodhana did not accept them. All this has ripened under the sway of time and now follows Duryodhana's will. I take swift leave of you and shall set out for the Pandavas. What shall I tell the sons of Pandu on your behalf? Tell me this, O greatly wise one — I wish to hear your word." Kunti said: "O Keshava, tell King Yudhishthira, whose soul is dharma: 'Your dharma is ever more diminishing; my son, do not let it go to waste.'"
652e826ce631 · published Jul 17, 2026, 5:51:08 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
After the failure of his embassy, Krishna turns to Kunti as the mother of the Pandavas. Her answer is aimed straight at Yudhishthira: excessive gentleness can become not dharma but the loss of dharma, if a king refuses to defend his rightful duty.