Shloka 10
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 71 — Kṣatra-dharma Counsel, Public Legitimacy, and Mobilization
स्थाता न: समये तस्मिन् धृतराष्ट्र इति प्रभो । नाहास्म समयं कृष्ण तद्धि नो ब्राह्मणा विदु:
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | sthātā naḥ samaye tasmin dhṛtarāṣṭra iti prabho | nāhāsmā samayaṃ kṛṣṇa taddhi no brāhmaṇā viduḥ |
قال يودهيشتيرا: «يا مولاي، لقد عشنا تلك المدة المعيّنة ونحن على يقينٍ بأن دريتاراشترا سيثبت على كلمته الموثوقة. وبأمره أقمنا في الغابة اثنتي عشرة سنة، ثم مضينا سنةً في الخفاء. يا كريشنا، لم نُخِلّ بالاتفاق—وهذا معلوم لدى البراهمة الذين عاشوا معنا».
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes fidelity to a pledged agreement (samaya) as a central element of dharma: Yudhiṣṭhira asserts that the Pāṇḍavas fulfilled the stipulated exile exactly and did not breach their vow, grounding moral legitimacy in truthfulness and verifiable conduct.
In the Udyoga Parva, as negotiations and preparations for war intensify, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Kṛṣṇa to reaffirm that the Pāṇḍavas completed the twelve-year forest exile and the subsequent year of concealment in reliance on Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s pledged word, and that witnesses (brāhmaṇas who stayed with them) can attest to their compliance.