Shloka 9
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 71 — Kṣatra-dharma Counsel, Public Legitimacy, and Mobilization
यत् तद् द्वादश वर्षाणि वनेषु हुषिता वयम् । छटद्माना शरदं चैकां धृतराष्ट्रस्य शासनात्
yad tad dvādaśa varṣāṇi vaneṣu uṣitā vayam | chadmanā śaradaṃ caikāṃ dhṛtarāṣṭrasya śāsanāt, prabho |
قال يودهيشتيرا: «يا مولاي، إن اثنتي عشرة سنة عشناها في الغابات، وتلك السنة الواحدة التي قضيناها في الخفاء—قد احتملناها بأمر دريتاراشترا. وثقنا أنه سيثبت على كلمته الموثوقة، فأطعنا أمره. لم ننقض عهدنا؛ وكل البراهمة الذين عاشوا معنا يعلمون أن هذا حقّ.»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes dharma as fidelity to one’s pledged word: Yudhiṣṭhira grounds moral and political legitimacy in strict observance of the agreed exile and incognito terms, supported by credible witnesses (the Brahmins).
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations, Yudhiṣṭhira asserts that the Pāṇḍavas completed the required twelve-year forest exile and one-year concealed stay under Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s order, and that they did not break their vow—thereby strengthening their rightful claim and moral standing.