Shloka 1
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 30: Sañjaya’s Departure and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Commission of Greetings
युधिष्ठिर बोले--संजय! साधु-असाधु, बालक-वृद्ध तथा निर्बल एवं बलिष्ठ--सबको विधाता अपने वशमें रखता है
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca— sañjaya! sādhu-asādhu, bālaka-vṛddha tathā nirbala evaṃ baliṣṭha—sarvān vidhātā sva-vaśe dhārayati.
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Sañjaya, the Ordainer holds all within His control—whether virtuous or wicked, child or aged, weak or mighty.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse stresses the supremacy of the Ordainer (daiva/vidhātā): all conditions—moral (good/evil) and worldly (young/old, weak/strong)—remain within a higher governance, inviting humility and reflection on the limits of human control.
In Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Sañjaya and frames the unfolding events in terms of destiny and divine ordering, setting an ethical tone for interpreting the coming conflict.