Shloka 13
Adhyāya 20 — Rājadharma Argument for Paternal Inheritance and Timely Conciliation
तेषां च वृत्तमाज्ञाय वृत्तं दुर्योधनस्य च । अनुनेतुमिहारन्ति धार्तराष्ट्रं सुहज्जना:
teṣāṃ ca vṛttam ājñāya vṛttaṃ duryodhanasya ca | anunetum ihārhanti dhārtarāṣṭraṃ suhṛjjanāḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Having understood the conduct of the Pāṇḍavas and also the conduct of Duryodhana, the well-wishing friends—seeking the good of both sides—ought, in this situation, to counsel Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son (Duryodhana) and bring him to a conciliatory path.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Those who genuinely wish the welfare of all parties should intervene with timely, informed counsel—especially to restrain the obstinate or unjust—so that conflict may be averted and dharma upheld.
As war preparations intensify, the narrator frames the moral responsibility of neutral well-wishers: after assessing both the Pāṇḍavas’ and Duryodhana’s behavior, they should attempt to persuade Duryodhana (Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son) toward reconciliation.