Shloka 23
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 30: Sañjaya’s Departure and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Commission of Greetings
अलमेव शमायास्मि तथा युद्धाय संजय । धर्मार्थयोरलं चाहं मृदवे दारुणाय च,संजय! मैं शान्ति रखनेमें भी समर्थ हूँ और युद्ध करनेमें भी। धर्म और अर्थके विषयका भी मुझे ठीक-ठीक ज्ञान है। मैं समयानुसार कोमल भी हो सकता हूँ और कठोर भी
alam eva śamāyāsmi tathā yuddhāya sañjaya | dharmārthayor alaṃ cāhaṃ mṛdave dāruṇāya ca ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Sañjaya, I am fully capable of maintaining peace, and equally capable of waging war. I understand what is right (dharma) and what is expedient (artha) as they truly are. According to the demands of time and circumstance, I can be gentle, and I can also be severe.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler grounded in dharma must also understand artha and act with situational wisdom: peace is preferable when it protects justice, but firmness—even war—may be required when justice is threatened. True strength includes both restraint and the capacity for decisive severity.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Sañjaya (Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s envoy), asserting that the Pāṇḍavas are not weak or confused: he can pursue peace sincerely, yet he is prepared for war if dharma demands it, and he can be gentle or harsh as circumstances require.