Shloka 20
Udyoga Parva, Adhyaya 31 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Instructions to Sañjaya
Peace Appeal and Five-Village Proposal
कथं हि मन्त्राग्रयधरो मनीषी धर्मार्थयोरापदि सम्प्रणेता । एवं युक्त: सर्वमन्त्रैरहीनो नरो नृशंसं कर्म कुर्यादमूढ:
sañjaya uvāca |
kathaṁ hi mantrāgrayadharo manīṣī dharmārthayor āpadi sampranetā |
evaṁ yuktaḥ sarvamantrair ahīno naro nṛśaṁsaṁ karma kuryād amūḍhaḥ ||
Sanjaya said: “How could a wise man—one who upholds the foremost counsel, who in times of crisis rightly guides both dharma and material policy—being thus well-equipped and not lacking in any sound advice, commit a cruel deed? How could a prudent person, so fully resourced in judgment, act with such brutality?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
True wisdom and competent counsel are incompatible with nṛśaṁsa (cruel, inhumane) action; a leader who can balance dharma and artha, especially in crisis, should not descend into brutality.
Sañjaya voices moral astonishment and reproach: he points out that a person renowned for sound counsel and prudent crisis-guidance should not be capable of committing a ruthless deed, highlighting the ethical tension driving the Udyoga Parva’s diplomacy and impending war.