Shloka 24
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय २५: संजयदूतवाक्यम्
Sañjaya’s Envoy-Speech on Peace
तेनानुबन्ध॑ मन्यते धारतराष्ट्र: शक्यं हर्तु पाण्डवानां ममत्वम् | किरीटिना तालमात्रायुधेन तद्वेदिना संयुगं तत्र गत्वा
tenānubandhaṁ manyate dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ śakyaṁ hartuṁ pāṇḍavānāṁ mamatvam | kirīṭinā tālamātrāyudhena tadvedinā saṁyugaṁ tatra gatvā ||
Sanjaya said: “O Dhritarashtra, he imagines he can sever the Pandavas’ rightful claim and sense of ownership over the kingdom. But to do so he must enter the battlefield and face Arjuna, the diadem-wearer—bearing a bow of tāla-measure and a master of the science of archery. To think such a claim can be taken ‘easily’ is moral blindness, for it demands war against those who are strong, skilled, and justified in their cause.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical delusion of thinking that a rightful claim (pāṇḍavānāṁ mamatvam) can be ‘taken away’ by force. Such a plan inevitably leads to war against capable and justified opponents, revealing how greed and pride distort judgment and invite destructive consequences.
Sañjaya addresses Dhṛtarāṣṭra, pointing out that the attempt to dispossess the Pāṇḍavas is not simple: it requires confronting Arjuna, famed as Kirīṭin and as a master of Dhanurveda, on the battlefield—implying the grave risk and inevitability of conflict.