Shloka 175
अनुक्रमणिकाध्यायः (Anukramaṇikā Adhyāya) — Invocation, Narrator Frame, and Textual Scope
यदाश्रौषं लोकहिताय कृष्णं शमार्थिनमुपयातं कुरूणाम् | शमं कुर्वाणमकृतार्थ च यातं तदा नाशंसे विजयाय संजय,संजय! जब मैंने सुना कि स्वयं भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण लोककल्याणके लिये शान्तिकी इच्छासे आये हुए हैं और कौरव-पाण्डवोंमें शान्ति-सन्धि करवाना चाहते हैं, परंतु वे अपने प्रयासमें असफल होकर लौट गये, तभीसे मुझे विजयकी आशा नहीं रही
yadāśrauṣaṁ lokahitāya kṛṣṇaṁ śamārthinam upayātaṁ kurūṇām | śamaṁ kurvāṇam akṛtārthaṁ ca yātaṁ tadā nāśaṁse vijayāya sañjaya, sañjaya!
When I heard that Kṛṣṇa—seeking the welfare of the world—had gone to the Kurus desiring peace, and that though he strove to bring about reconciliation he returned unsuccessful, from that moment, Sañjaya, I no longer held any hope of victory.
Educational Q&A
When a sincere, welfare-oriented attempt at peace led by a righteous mediator fails, it indicates that adharma has hardened; victory gained through such obstinacy is unlikely, and the ethical consequence is collective ruin rather than true success.
The speaker tells Sañjaya that he heard Kṛṣṇa went to the Kuru side seeking a peace settlement between the factions, but returned without achieving it; this news becomes a decisive sign that victory will not come to the side that rejected reconciliation.