Shloka 2
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय २५: संजयदूतवाक्यम्
Sañjaya’s Envoy-Speech on Peace
अकुर्वतश्चेत् पुरुषस्य संजय सिद्धयेत् संकल्पो मनसा यं यमिच्छेत् । न कर्म कुर्याद् विदितं ममैत- दन्यत्र युद्धादू बहु यल्लघीय:
sañjaya uvāca |
akurvataś cet puruṣasya sañjaya siddhyet saṅkalpo manasā yaṃ yam icchet |
na karma kuryād viditaṃ mamaitad anyatra yuddhād bahu yal laghīyaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “If, O Sañjaya, a man’s resolve could succeed even without acting—if whatever he desired in his mind were obtained—then no one would ever perform deeds; this I know well. Therefore, if any gain at all can be secured without resorting to war, it should be regarded as a great gain.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Mere wishing cannot replace action; if desires were fulfilled without effort, no one would act. Hence, even a small advantage gained without war should be valued highly, implying preference for peaceful, low-cost resolution over violent conflict.
Sañjaya reflects on human nature and policy: people must act to achieve ends, and because war is costly, any achievable benefit through nonviolent means should be treated as significant—framing the ethical and strategic tension around whether to fight.