Shloka 11
Udyoga Parva 21 — Bhīṣma’s Conciliatory Counsel, Karṇa’s Rebuttal, and Dhṛtarāṣṭra Sends Sañjaya (भीष्म-कर्ण-विवादः; संजय-प्रेषणम्)
स तं समयम॒श्रित्य राज्यं नेच्छति पैतृकम् । बलमाश्रित्य मत्स्यानां पज्चालानां च मूर्खवत्,'युधिष्ठिर उस शर्तका पालन करके अपना पैतृक राज्य चाहते हों, ऐसी बात नहीं है। वे तो मूर्खोकी भाँति मत्स्य और पांचाल देशकी सेनाके भरोसे राज्य लेना चाहते हैं
sa taṃ samayam āśritya rājyaṃ necchati paitṛkam | balam āśritya matsyānāṃ pāñcālānāṃ ca mūrkhavat ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Relying on that stipulated agreement, he does not truly seek his ancestral kingdom. Rather, like a fool, he aims to seize sovereignty by leaning on the military strength of the Matsyas and the Pāñcālas.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical-political critique: rightful rule should rest on legitimate claim and fidelity to agreements (samaya), not merely on the backing of allied armies. It highlights how accusations of ‘foolish’ reliance on force can be used to delegitimize a dharmic claim.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war diplomacy, a speaker reports a hostile interpretation of Yudhiṣṭhira’s intentions: that he is not seeking the paternal kingdom by honoring a prior condition, but is instead attempting to obtain it through the military support of the Matsya and Pāñcāla allies.