Shloka 10
Udyoga Parva, Adhyaya 31 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Instructions to Sañjaya
Peace Appeal and Five-Village Proposal
धृतराष्ट्र रवाच अभिनन्द्य त्वां तात वदामि संजय अजातशत्रुं च सुखेन पार्थम् । कच्चित् स राजा कुशली सपुत्र: सहामात्य: सानुज: कौरवाणाम्
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | abhinandya tvāṃ tāta vadāmi sañjaya ajātaśatruṃ ca sukhena pārtham | kaccit sa rājā kuśalī saputraḥ sahāmātyaḥ sānujaḥ kauravāṇām ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Dear Sañjaya, having welcomed you, I ask: is Ajātaśatru—Pārtha (Yudhiṣṭhira), the son of Kuntī—well and at ease? Is that king of the Kauravas safe and prosperous, together with his sons, his ministers, and his younger brothers?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid political conflict, a ruler’s first concern is the welfare (kuśala) of kin and the stability of the realm—signaled by asking about the king together with sons, ministers, and brothers, the pillars of governance and dharma.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra greets Sañjaya and immediately inquires about Yudhiṣṭhira’s well-being—addressing him respectfully by epithets (Ajātaśatru, Pārtha) and asking whether he is safe along with his family and advisers, reflecting tense pre-war diplomacy.