Shloka 5
उद्योगपर्व (अध्याय १२९) — केशवस्य वैभवप्रदर्शनम् / Krishna’s Theophanic Display in the Kuru Assembly
वयमेव हृषीकेशं निगृह्लीम बलादिव । प्रसहा पुरुषव्याप्रमिन्द्रो वैरोचनिं यथा,वे परस्पर कहने लगे--'शीघ्रतापूर्वक प्रत्येक कार्य करनेवाले श्रीकृष्ण राजा धृतराष्ट्र और भीष्मके साथ मिलकर जबतक हमें कैद करें, उसके पहले हमलोग ही बलपूर्वक इन पुरुषसिंह हृषीकेशको बन्दी बना लें। ठीक उसी तरह, जैसे इन्द्रने विरोचनपुत्र बलिको बाँध लिया था
vayam eva hṛṣīkeśaṃ nigṛhṇīma balād iva | prasahā puruṣavyāpram indro vairocanim yathā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Let us ourselves seize Hṛṣīkeśa by force. Before swift-acting Kṛṣṇa, in concert with King Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Bhīṣma, can imprison us, we should overpower this lion among men and take him captive—just as Indra once bound Bali, the son of Virocana.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical inversion: instead of honoring a messenger and seeking peace, the speakers propose forcibly capturing Kṛṣṇa out of fear and political calculation. It underscores how adharma can arise from anxiety and expediency, and how mythic precedents (Indra binding Bali) may be invoked to justify coercive acts.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations, a faction proposes preemptively seizing Kṛṣṇa (Hṛṣīkeśa) by force, fearing he may act swiftly with Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Bhīṣma to have them detained. They compare their intended act to Indra’s binding of Bali, using that famous episode as an analogy for overpowering a formidable opponent.