Shloka 20
Virāṭa-sabhāyāṃ Saṃniveśaḥ — Assembly at Virāṭa’s Hall and Kṛṣṇa’s Diplomatic Counsel
सम्बन्धितां चापि समीक्ष्य तेषां मतिं कुरुध्वं सहिता: पृथक् च | इमे च सत्येडभिरता: सदैव त॑ पालयित्वा समयं यथावत्
sambandhitāṃ cāpi samīkṣya teṣāṃ matiṃ kurudhvam sahitāḥ pṛthak ca | ime ca satyeḍabhiratāḥ sadaiva taṃ pālayitvā samayaṃ yathāvat ||
তাদের পারস্পরিক সম্পর্কও বিবেচনা করে, তাদের অভিপ্রায় নিয়ে চিন্তা করো—সমষ্টিগতভাবেও এবং ব্যক্তিগতভাবেও। এ পাণ্ডবরা সর্বদা সত্যে নিবিষ্ট; স্থিরকৃত চুক্তি/সময় যথাযথ পালন করে আমাদের সম্মুখে উপস্থিত।
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Public decisions, especially in matters of conflict, must be grounded in dharma: examine relationships and intentions, deliberate both collectively and individually, and honor established agreements. Truthfulness and fidelity to a covenant are presented as ethical benchmarks against which greed-driven policy should be judged.
Kṛṣṇa addresses the Kaurava court/assembly, urging the members to assess the stance of the two sides. He emphasizes that the Pāṇḍavas have faithfully kept the prior compact and have come accordingly, and he calls on the assembly to decide responsibly rather than be led by escalating greed.