Śaineya’s Breakthrough and Reunion with Arjuna (शैनेयस्य समागमः)
याचितो<सि पुरा राजन् दाशार्हैण शमं प्रति । नच तं लब्धवान् काम॑ त्वत्त: कृष्णो महायशा:,राजन! दशा्हनन्दन भगवान् श्रीकृष्णने पहले आपसे शान्तिके लिये याचना की थी; परंतु आपकी ओरसे उन महायशस्वी श्रीकृष्णकी वह इच्छा पूरी नहीं की गयी
yācito ’si purā rājan dāśārheṇa śamaṃ prati | na ca taṃ labdhavān kāmaṃ tvattaḥ kṛṣṇo mahāyaśāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, in former days you were entreated by Kṛṣṇa of the Dāśārha line to make peace; yet from you that illustrious Kṛṣṇa did not obtain the fulfillment of his wish.”
संजय उवाच
A ruler’s refusal to accept sincere peace-making efforts—especially when urged by a wise and well-intentioned mediator—creates moral culpability and invites destructive consequences. The verse highlights accountability: the failure of reconciliation is traced to the king’s unwillingness to grant what dharma and prudence demanded.
Sañjaya reminds Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Kṛṣṇa earlier approached him seeking a peaceful settlement between the Kauravas and Pāṇḍavas, but Dhṛtarāṣṭra (and his side) did not satisfy that request. This recollection frames the ensuing calamities of war as rooted in a missed opportunity for peace.