Shloka 29
Dambhodbhava, Nara-Nārāyaṇa, and the Counsel to Abandon Hubris
Udyoga-parva 94
पाण्डवैर्निहतै: संख्ये पुत्रैर्वापि महाबलै: यद् विन्देथा: सुखं राजंस्तद् ब्रूहि भरतर्षभ
pāṇḍavair nihataiḥ saṅkhye putrair vāpi mahābalaiḥ | yad vindethāḥ sukhaṃ rājaṃs tad brūhi bharatarṣabha ||
বৈশম্পায়ন বললেন—হে ভরতশ্রেষ্ঠ! যদি যুদ্ধে পাণ্ডবরা নিহত হয়, অথবা তোমার মহাবলী পুত্ররাই বিনষ্ট হয়—তবে, রাজন, সে অবস্থায় তুমি কোন সুখ পাবে? বলো তো।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse challenges the illusion of ‘victory’ in a fratricidal war: whether the Pāṇḍavas die or one’s own sons perish, the outcome is bereft of true sukha. It presses a dharmic evaluation of ends and means—no political gain compensates for the moral and familial ruin.
Vaiśaṃpāyana, narrating the events of the Udyoga Parva, frames a pointed question to the king: in the looming conflict, either side’s destruction leads to sorrow. The statement functions as a rhetorical rebuke, exposing the self-defeating nature of pursuing war as a path to happiness.