Shloka 19
उद्योगपर्व (अध्याय १२९) — केशवस्य वैभवप्रदर्शनम् / Krishna’s Theophanic Display in the Kuru Assembly
इमं हि पुण्डरीकाक्षमभिभूय प्रसहु च
imaṃ hi puṇḍarīkākṣam abhibhūya prasahu ca
For, having overpowered this lotus-eyed one—indeed, by sheer force—(he acted thus). The line marks an ethically charged moment: the “lotus-eyed” figure, emblem of nobility and restraint, is met not with persuasion or dharma-guided conduct but with coercive might, exposing the tension between rightful counsel and the impulse to dominate.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral contrast between dharma-based engagement and domination by force: overpowering a noble ‘lotus-eyed’ figure suggests a lapse from ethical restraint into coercion, a recurring warning in the Udyoga Parva’s diplomacy-and-war setting.
Vaiśaṃpāyana reports that someone subdues the ‘lotus-eyed’ person by force. The line is fragmentary on its own, but it functions as a narrative hinge emphasizing an act of overpowering rather than reconciliation, consistent with the Udyoga Parva’s escalating breakdown of peace efforts.