Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 2
शल्यपर्वणि प्रथमाध्यायः — Karṇa-vadha-anantaraṃ Śalya-niyogaḥ, Saṃjayasya Dhṛtarāṣṭra-nivedanam
उदीर्यमाणं च बलं॑ दृष्टवा राजा सुयोधन: । पाण्डवै: प्राप्तकालं च किं प्रापद्यत कौरव:,पाण्डवोंका बल बढ़ता देखकर कुरुवंशी राजा दुर्योधनने उनके साथ कौन-सा समयोचित बर्ताव करनेका निश्चय किया?
udīryamāṇaṃ ca balaṃ dṛṣṭvā rājā suyodhanaḥ | pāṇḍavaiḥ prāptakālaṃ ca kiṃ prāpadyata kauravaḥ ||
Janamejaya asked: Seeing the Pāṇḍavas’ strength rising, what timely course of action did King Suyodhana (Duryodhana), the Kaurava, decide upon?
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds kāla (timeliness) in political and ethical decision-making: when circumstances shift, a ruler’s response reveals character—whether guided by dharma and prudence or by fear, pride, and attachment to power.
Janamejaya asks the narrator to explain Duryodhana’s next move after he observes the Pāṇḍavas gaining strength, setting up an account of the Kaurava leader’s strategic choices at a critical stage of the war.