Shloka 23
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय १४० (कृष्णेन कर्णं प्रति पाण्डवबल-वैशिष्ट्यप्रदर्शनम्) / Udyoga Parva, Chapter 140
Krishna’s appraisal of Pandava advantage and war portents
स एव राजा थधर्मात्मा शाश्वतो<स्तु युधिष्ठिर: । नेता यस्य हृषीकेशो योद्धा यस्य धनंजय:,मैं भी यही चाहता हूँ कि जिनके नेता हृषीकेश और योद्धा अर्जुन हैं, वे धर्मात्मा युधिष्ठिर ही सर्वदा राजा बने रहें
sa eva rājā sa dharmātmā śāśvato 'stu yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | netā yasya hṛṣīkeśo yoddhā yasya dhanaṃjayaḥ ||
May that very righteous-souled Yudhiṣṭhira alone remain king forever—he whose leader is Hṛṣīkeśa (Kṛṣṇa) and whose champion in battle is Dhanaṃjaya (Arjuna).
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Rightful rule is grounded in dharma: the truly fit king is the dharmātmā. The verse also highlights the ethical ideal that wise counsel (Kṛṣṇa as netā) and disciplined martial excellence (Arjuna as yoddhā) together sustain just governance.
In Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Karṇa voices a striking acknowledgment of Yudhiṣṭhira’s legitimacy, expressing the wish that Yudhiṣṭhira should remain king—especially given that Kṛṣṇa guides him and Arjuna fights for him.