Shloka 16
विदुरस्य कृष्णं प्रति शमोपदेशः
Vidura’s Counsel to Krishna on the Limits of Peace
वैशम्पायन उवाच स एवमुक्तो गोविन्द: प्रत्युवाच महामना: । उद्यन्मेघस्वन: काले प्रगृह्म विपुलं भुजम्
vaiśampāyana uvāca | sa evam ukto govindaḥ pratyuvāca mahāmanāḥ | udyanmeghasvanaḥ kāle pragṛhya vipulaṃ bhujam ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „So angesprochen, erwiderte Govinda, der Großgesinnte. In jenem Augenblick hob er seinen mächtigen Arm und begann Duryodhana mit einer Stimme zu antworten, tief und widerhallend wie eine regenbeladene Wolke, und gab damit einem Rat den Ton, der fest, klar und frei von Schwäche sein sollte.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames Kṛṣṇa’s forthcoming reply as authoritative, composed, and ethically grounded: counsel to a ruler should be clear, reasoned, and free from cowardly pleading, aiming at dharma and the common good even when conflict is near.
After being questioned/approached, Kṛṣṇa (Govinda) prepares to respond to Duryodhana. The narrator highlights his commanding presence—raising his arm and speaking with thunder-like gravity—signaling a decisive, weighty answer in the tense pre-war negotiations.