Shloka 16
अध्याय २६ — युद्ध-निन्दा, काम-दोष, तथा धार्तराष्ट्र-नीति-विश्लेषण
War-aversion, Desire as a Policy Fault, and Analysis of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Governance
तच्चेदेवं द्वेषरूपेण पार्था: करिष्यध्वं कर्म पापं चिराय । निवसध्व॑ वर्षपूगान् वनेषु दुःखं वासं पाण्डवा धर्म एव,कुन्तीकुमारो! यदि आपलोगोंको राज्यके लिये चिरस्थायी विद्वेषके रूपमें युद्धरूप पापकर्म ही करना है, तब तो मैं यही कहूँगा कि आप बहुत वर्षोतक दुःखमय वनवासका ही कष्ट भोगते रहें। पाण्डवो! वह वनवास ही आपके लिये धर्मरूप होगा
tac ced evaṁ dveṣa-rūpeṇa pārthāḥ kariṣyadhvaṁ karma pāpaṁ cirāya | nivasadhvaṁ varṣa-pūgān vaneṣu duḥkhaṁ vāsaṁ pāṇḍavā dharma eva, kuntī-kumāra |
Sañjaya said: “If, O sons of Pṛthā, you are determined to undertake for a long time the sinful act of war in the form of enduring hatred for the sake of a kingdom, then my counsel is this: live for many years in the forests, enduring the hardship of that sorrowful dwelling. O Pāṇḍavas—O son of Kuntī—such forest-life itself would be the path of dharma for you, rather than a war born of rancour.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
War pursued from entrenched hatred (dveṣa) is ethically corrupting; if the motive is rancour for the sake of kingdom, then enduring hardship in the forest is presented as the more dharmic alternative.
Sañjaya addresses the Pāṇḍavas, warning that if they choose a long-lasting, hate-driven war for sovereignty, he would rather advise continued forest-dwelling—painful though it is—because it aligns better with dharma than a conflict rooted in animosity.