Mahabharata — Udyoga Parva, Shloka 7
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 123 — Bhīṣma–Droṇa–Vidura Upadeśa to Duryodhana
Keśava-vākya aftermath
सुहृत्कार्य तु सुमहत् कृत॑ ते स्याज्जनार्दन । “'जनार्दन! दुरात्मा राजा दुर्योधनकी बुद्धि पापमें लगी हुई है। यह पापका ही चिन्तन करनेवाला, क्रूर और विवेकशून्य है। आप ही इसे समझाइये। यदि आप इसे संधिके लिये राजी कर लें तो आपके द्वारा सुहृदोंका यह बहुत बड़ा कार्य सम्पन्न हो जायगा” ।।
suhṛt-kāryaṃ tu sumahat kṛtaṃ te syāj janārdana | “janārdana! durātmā rājā duryodhanasya buddhīḥ pāpe lagā huī hai | eṣa pāpasyaiva cintanakar, krūraḥ, viveka-śūnyaś ca | tvam eva enam upadiśa | yadi tvaṃ enaṃ sandhaye rājī-kuryāḥ, tarhi tvayā suhṛdāṃ etad atimahat kāryaṃ sampannaṃ bhaviṣyati” || tato 'bhyāvṛtya vārṣṇeyo duryodhanam amarṣaṇam |
‘O Janārdana, a truly great service to your well-wishers would be accomplished by you. King Duryodhana is wicked at heart; his mind is fixed on sin. He broods only on wrongdoing—cruel and devoid of discernment. You alone should counsel him. If you can bring him to agree to peace, then through you this immense duty toward friends will be fulfilled.’ Thereupon the Vārṣṇeya (Kṛṣṇa), turning back, addressed the unyielding Duryodhana.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames peace-making as a profound ethical duty: when a leader’s intellect is bound to wrongdoing and lacks discernment, wise counsel and persuasion toward reconciliation become a ‘great service’ to one’s community. It also highlights how moral failure is rooted in inner disposition (buddhi) and habitual contemplation (pāpa-cintana).
A speaker urges Kṛṣṇa (Janārdana) to counsel Duryodhana, describing him as cruel and fixed on sin, and asks Kṛṣṇa to persuade him to accept a peace settlement (sandhi). The narration then moves to Kṛṣṇa turning to address the unyielding Duryodhana.