Shloka 24
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय २५: संजयदूतवाक्यम्
Sañjaya’s Envoy-Speech on Peace
तेनानुबन्ध॑ मन्यते धारतराष्ट्र: शक्यं हर्तु पाण्डवानां ममत्वम् | किरीटिना तालमात्रायुधेन तद्वेदिना संयुगं तत्र गत्वा
tenānubandhaṁ manyate dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ śakyaṁ hartuṁ pāṇḍavānāṁ mamatvam | kirīṭinā tālamātrāyudhena tadvedinā saṁyugaṁ tatra gatvā ||
Sañjaya sprach: „O Dhṛtarāṣṭra, er meint, er könne den Pāṇḍavas ihren rechtmäßigen Anspruch und ihr Gefühl des Besitzes am Reich abschneiden. Doch dazu muss er das Schlachtfeld betreten und dem diademtragenden Arjuna entgegentreten—bewaffnet mit einem Bogen von tāla-Maß und ein vollendeter Meister der Bogenschützenkunst. Zu glauben, man könne diesen Anspruch ‘leicht’ rauben, ist moralische Blindheit; denn es verlangt Krieg gegen Männer, die stark, kundig und im Recht sind.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical delusion of thinking that a rightful claim (pāṇḍavānāṁ mamatvam) can be ‘taken away’ by force. Such a plan inevitably leads to war against capable and justified opponents, revealing how greed and pride distort judgment and invite destructive consequences.
Sañjaya addresses Dhṛtarāṣṭra, pointing out that the attempt to dispossess the Pāṇḍavas is not simple: it requires confronting Arjuna, famed as Kirīṭin and as a master of Dhanurveda, on the battlefield—implying the grave risk and inevitability of conflict.