Shloka 26
Nara-Nārāyaṇa Precedent and Bhīṣma’s Counsel on Kṛṣṇa–Arjuna; Karṇa’s Reply
नचेद् ग्रहीष्यसे वाक््यं श्रोतासि सुबहून् हतान् तवैव हि मतं सर्वे कुरव: पर्युपासते
naced grahīṣyase vākyaṃ śrotāsi subahūn hatān tavaiva hi mataṃ sarve kuravaḥ paryupāsate
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Wenn du diesen Rat nicht annimmst, wirst du eines Tages hören, dass viele unserer eigenen Verwandten erschlagen wurden; denn alle Kurus folgen allein deinem Urteil.“ Die Warnung umreißt eine moralische Verantwortung: Wenn der Wille eines Führers zum Maßstab für alle wird, kann die Zurückweisung weiser Rede kollektive Loyalität in kollektiven Untergang verkehren.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A leader whose opinion guides everyone bears heightened moral responsibility: rejecting sound counsel can cause widespread harm, even the death of one’s own kin, because collective action follows the leader’s stance.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations, a warning is voiced (reported by Vaiśampāyana) that if the addressed leader refuses the offered counsel, the inevitable outcome will be news of many relatives slain—since the Kurus align themselves with that leader’s decision.