Shloka 30
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 123 — Bhīṣma–Droṇa–Vidura Upadeśa to Duryodhana
Keśava-vākya aftermath
को हि शक्रसमान् ज्ञातीनतिक्रम्यप महारथान् । अन्येभ्यस्त्राणमाशंसेत् त्वदन्यो भुवि मानव:
ko hi śakra-samān jñātīn atikramya mahā-rathān | anyebhyas trāṇam āśaṃset tvad-anyo bhuvi mānavaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “For who on earth, other than you, would pass over his own kinsmen—mighty chariot-warriors, equal in prowess to Indra—and then hope to find protection from others? The question exposes the ethical folly of abandoning one’s natural supports and obligations, and it underscores the shame and imprudence of seeking refuge elsewhere when one’s own powerful relatives stand available.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should not disregard one’s own rightful supports—especially powerful and duty-bound relatives—and then expect safety from outsiders; ethically and practically, abandoning kin and obligations is portrayed as blameworthy and irrational.
Vaiśampāyana frames a pointed rhetorical question to censure a person’s choice to set aside Indra-like, great-warrior kinsmen and seek protection elsewhere, emphasizing the impropriety and imprudence of such conduct in the tense pre-war setting of the Udyoga Parva.