Shloka 21
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 123 — Bhīṣma–Droṇa–Vidura Upadeśa to Duryodhana
Keśava-vākya aftermath
रोचते ते पितुस्तात पाण्डवैः सह संगम: । सामात्यस्य कुरुश्रेष्ठ तत् तुभ्यं तात रोचताम्
rocate te pituḥ tāta pāṇḍavaiḥ saha saṅgamaḥ | sāmātyasya kuruśreṣṭha tat tubhyaṃ tāta rocatām ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “Dear son, it seems right that your father, together with his ministers, should come to an understanding and unite with the Pāṇḍavas. O best of the Kurus, may this also be pleasing to you, my child.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse commends reconciliation over escalation: a ruler (with his ministers) should seek union/settlement with rightful kin when it appears ethically sound, valuing counsel and peace as dharmic alternatives to destructive conflict.
Vaiśaṃpāyana reports a piece of advice addressed to a Kuru prince: he is urged to approve a policy in which his father, along with his ministers, makes a rapprochement with the Pāṇḍavas—signaling a push toward settlement in the tense pre-war negotiations.