एवं ब्रुवति कौन्तेये धर्मात्मनि युधिष्ठिरे । धृष्टद्युम्न उवाचेदं मां वचो गतसाध्वसम् | सवज्जनपदान् सूत योधा दुर्योधनस्य ये,इति श्रीमहा भारते उद्योगपर्वणि यानसंधिपर्वणि संजयवाक्ये सप्तपञ्चाशत्तमोड्ध्याय:
evaṁ bruvati kaunteye dharmātmani yudhiṣṭhire | dhṛṣṭadyumna uvācedaṁ māṁ vaco gatasādhvasam | savajjanapadān sūta yodhā duryodhanasya ye ||
وبينما كان يودهيشثيرا ابن كونتي، ذو النفس القائمة على الدharma، يتكلم على هذا النحو، خاطبني دْهريشْتَديومْنا بكلام لا خوف فيه: «يا سوتا، أخبرني عن محاربي دوريودhana، مع حلفائهم وشعوب ممالكهم.»
धृष्टद्युम्न उवाचेदं मां वचो गतसाध्वसम् |
Even amid negotiations and moral deliberation, righteous leadership requires clear-eyed assessment of forces and alliances. Dharma is not mere sentiment; it includes prudent inquiry into the realities of power and responsibility before war.
While Yudhiṣṭhira is speaking, Dhṛṣṭadyumna turns to Sañjaya (addressed as ‘Sūta’) and asks him to describe Duryodhana’s warriors along with their allied peoples and territories—seeking a strategic account of the opposing side.