Shloka 17
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय ५ (कृष्णनीति: न्यायशम-उपदेशः; विराट-द्रुपदयोः सैन्यसमाह्वानम्)
बलानि तेषां वीराणामागच्छन्ति ततस्तत:
balāni teṣāṃ vīrāṇām āgacchanti tatas tataḥ
Vaiśampāyana said: The military forces of those heroes kept arriving, from various places and in successive waves—an ominous gathering that signals the steady tightening of the conflict and the moral pressure that precedes war.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how conflict becomes difficult to reverse once preparations and alliances begin to consolidate. Ethically, it underscores the responsibility of leaders to act early for peace, because once forces assemble, momentum and pride can overpower dharma-based restraint.
In the Udyoga Parva’s build-up to the Kurukṣetra war, troops belonging to the principal heroes are arriving from different regions, indicating a widening mobilization and the approaching inevitability of armed confrontation.