Shloka 17
याज्ञसेनी-प्रश्नः
Draupadī’s Question in the Assembly
समवेतान् हि कः पार्थान् प्रतियुध्येत भारत । मरुद्धिः सहितो राजन्नपि साक्षान्मरुत्पति:,भरतवंशीय राजन! देवताओंसहित साक्षात् देवराज इन्द्र ही क्यों न हों, जब कुन्तीपुत्र संगठित होकर युद्धके लिये तैयार होंगे, उनका मुकाबला कौन कर सकता है?
samavetān hi kaḥ pārthān pratiyudhyeta bhārata | marudbhiḥ sahito rājann api sākṣān marutpatiḥ ||
Vidura said: “O Bhārata, when the sons of Pṛthā stand united and ready for battle, who could possibly fight against them? O King, even if it were Indra himself—the lord of the Maruts—appearing in person and accompanied by the gods, he would still find them a formidable, near-unassailable force.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura emphasizes the ethical and practical necessity of avoiding unjust conflict: when righteous and capable allies stand united, arrogance and aggression become self-destructive. The verse praises unity as strength and urges the king to choose restraint and dharmic policy over escalation.
In the Sabha Parva context, Vidura counsels Dhṛtarāṣṭra about the danger of provoking the Pāṇḍavas. He warns that if the Pāṇḍavas unite for war, no opponent—even Indra with the gods—could easily withstand them, implying that the Kaurava side should abandon hostile designs.