Shloka 22
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 3 — Sātyaki on Inner Disposition, Legitimacy, and Coercive Readiness
निसृष्टं धृतराष्ट्रेण राज्यं प्राप्रोतु पाण्डव: । अद्य पाण्डुसुतो राज्यं लभतां वा युधिष्ठिर:,अतः पाए्डुपुत्र युधिष्ठिरके मनमें जो अभिलाषा है, उसीकी आपलोग आलस्य छोड़कर सिद्धि करें। धृतराष्ट्र राज्य लौटा दें और पाण्डुपुत्र युधिष्ठिर उसे ग्रहण करें। अब पाण्डुनन्दन युधिष्ठिरको राज्य मिल जाना चाहिये, अन्यथा समस्त कौरव युद्धमें मारे जाकर रणभूमिमें सदाके लिये सो जायँगे
niṣṛṣṭaṃ dhṛtarāṣṭreṇa rājyaṃ prāprotu pāṇḍavaḥ | adya pāṇḍusuto rājyaṃ labhatāṃ vā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: “Let the Pāṇḍava obtain the kingdom that has been released (restored) by Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Let Yudhiṣṭhira, the son of Pāṇḍu, receive the sovereignty today. For this is what ought to be: the rightful heir should be established in his due share; otherwise, the refusal to return what is just will drive the Kauravas toward ruin in war.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Political power must align with dharma: what is rightfully due should be restored without delay. Refusing a just settlement invites adharma and escalates conflict toward destructive war.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war diplomacy, the narration frames the ethical necessity of returning the kingdom to Yudhiṣṭhira. The verse underscores that Dhṛtarāṣṭra should relinquish control so the rightful heir may rule, otherwise the Kuru dispute will harden into war.