Shloka 8
तस्माद् वयमिहैवैनं केशवं क्षिप्रकारिणम्,क्रोशतो धृतराष्ट्रस्य बद्ध्वा योत्स्यामहे रिपून् । “इसलिये हम यहीं शीघ्रतापूर्वक कार्य करनेवाले केशवको राजा धृतराष्ट्रके चीखने- चिल्लानेपर भी कैद करके शत्रुओंके साथ युद्ध करें"
tasmād vayam ihaivainaṃ keśavaṃ kṣiprakāriṇam, krośato dhṛtarāṣṭrasya baddhvā yotsyāmahe ripūn.
“Therefore, right here we shall seize Keśava—swift in action—and, even if King Dhṛtarāṣṭra cries out in protest, bind him and then fight the enemy.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a lapse of dharma: the impulse to arrest Keśava (Kṛṣṇa), despite Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s protest, signals the abandonment of ethical restraint and diplomatic norms. It warns that when fear and hostility dominate counsel, leaders commit acts that intensify conflict and invite moral and practical ruin.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations, hostile voices propose capturing Keśava on the spot—binding him even if Dhṛtarāṣṭra objects—and then proceeding to fight the enemies. The line reflects the Kaurava side’s aggressive, unlawful intent during the tense diplomacy preceding the Kurukṣetra war.