Shloka 16
Virāṭa-sabhāyāṃ Saṃniveśaḥ — Assembly at Virāṭa’s Hall and Kṛṣṇa’s Diplomatic Counsel
मिथ्योपचारेण यथा हाुनेन कृच्छं महत् प्राप्तमसहा[रूपम् | न चापि पार्थो विजितो रणे तैः स्वतेजसा धृतराष्ट्रस्य पुत्र:,कौरवोंके इस मिथ्या व्यवहार तथा छल-कपटके कारण पाण्डवोंको कितना महान् और असहा कष्ट भोगना पड़ा है, यह भी आपलोगोंसे छिपा नहीं है। धृतराष्ट्रके उन पुत्रोंने अपने बल और पराक्रमसे कुन्तीपुत्र युधिष्ठिरको किसी युद्धमें पराजित नहीं किया था (छलसे ही इनका राज्य छीना)
mithyopacāreṇa yathā hānena kṛcchraṁ mahat prāptam asahā-rūpam | na cāpi pārtho vijito raṇe taiḥ svatejasā dhṛtarāṣṭrasya putraiḥ ||
By false dealings and deceitful stratagems, the Pāṇḍavas were made to suffer a great and unbearable calamity—this is not hidden from you. Nor was Pārtha (the son of Kuntī) ever defeated in battle by Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons through their own prowess; it was by fraud that his kingdom was taken.
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Kṛṣṇa frames the conflict as a moral issue: the Pāṇḍavas’ suffering and loss of kingdom arose from deceitful conduct, not from legitimate victory in righteous battle. This underscores that adharma (fraud, छल-कपट) cannot be treated as rightful conquest.
In the opening of Udyoga Parva, Kṛṣṇa reminds the assembled parties that the Kauravas did not win by valor; rather, through false dealings they caused the Pāṇḍavas immense hardship and seized their sovereignty, setting the ethical backdrop for the coming negotiations and war.