Shloka 68
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 71 — Kṣatra-dharma Counsel, Public Legitimacy, and Mobilization
नच त्यक्तुं तदिच्छामो न चेच्छाम: कुलक्षयम् | अत्र या प्रणिपातेन शान्ति: सैव गरीयसी
na ca tyaktuṃ tad icchāmo na cechāmaḥ kulakṣayam | atra yā praṇipātena śāntiḥ saiva garīyasī ||
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „Wir wollen jenen rechtmäßigen Anspruch nicht aufgeben, und wir begehren auch nicht den Untergang unseres Geschlechts. In dieser Sache ist der Frieden, der durch demütige Unterwerfung und ehrerbietige Versöhnung erreicht wird—nur dieser—der bessere Weg.“
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse prioritizes peace and the prevention of clan-destruction over pride: even when one has a rightful claim, reconciliation achieved through humility and respectful negotiation is ethically superior to a victory that costs the family’s survival.
In Udyoga Parva, as war becomes imminent, Yudhiṣṭhira voices a principled stance: he does not want to relinquish what is due, yet he also refuses to seek outcomes that lead to kulakṣaya. Therefore he endorses peace pursued through praṇipāta—deferential, conciliatory diplomacy.