Shloka 19
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 28: Dharmādharmalakṣaṇa in Āpad
Crisis-Discernment of Right and Wrong
ते चेदिमे कौरवाणामुपाय- मवगच्छेयुरवधेनैव पार्था: । धर्मत्राणं पुण्यमेषां कृतं स्था- दार्ये वृत्ते भीमसेनं निगृहा
te ced ime kauravāṇām upāyam avagaccheyur avadhenaiva pārthāḥ | dharmatrāṇaṁ puṇyam eṣāṁ kṛtaṁ sthād ārye vṛtte bhīmasenaṁ nigṛhya ||
Vāyu sprach: „Wenn diese Pārthas einen Weg finden, mit den Kauravas ohne Blutvergießen umzugehen, dann werden sie—indem sie Bhīmasena zügeln und ihn in der edlen Lebensführung der Rechtschaffenen fest verankern—ein verdienstvolles Werk vollbringen: den Schutz des Dharma. Begreife dies wohl.“
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid an inevitable political conflict, the highest merit lies in protecting dharma through self-restraint—especially restraining wrath and violence—if a just outcome can be achieved without slaughter.
Vāyudeva advises that if the Pāṇḍavas can find a way to secure their aims regarding the Kauravas without killing, they should do so; this requires checking Bhīma’s fierce impulse and keeping him aligned with noble, righteous conduct.