Shloka 60
Sainyasaṅgraha and Bhāga-Vyavasthā (Forces Assembled and Rival Allocations) | सैन्यसंग्रह-भागव्यवस्था
धर्मात्मा कुन्तीकुमार युधिष्ठिर जब इस प्रकार कह रहे थे
dhṛṣṭadyumna uvāca—idaṃ māṃ vaco gatasādhvasam | (sūta! tatra duryodhanasya ye yoddhāḥ, taiḥ sarvaiḥ deśavāsibhiḥ, bāhlīkādyaiḥ pratīpavaṃśyaiḥ kauravaiḥ, śaradvataputreṇa kṛpācāryeṇa, sūtaputreṇa karṇena, droṇācāryeṇa aśvatthāmnā ca, tathā jayadrathena duḥśāsanena vikarṇena rājñā duryodhanena bhīṣmeṇa ca—śīghraṃ gatvā mama sandesaṃ vada; adyaiva yāhi, mā vilambaḥ) | sandesaḥ—sādhunaivābhyupeyo mā vo vadhīd arjuno devaguptaḥ | rājyaṃ daddhvaṃ dharmarājasya tūṛṇaṃ yācadhvaṃ vai pāṇḍavaṃ lokavīram ||
As righteous Yudhiṣṭhira, Kuntī’s son, was speaking in this manner, Dhṛṣṭadyumna addressed me with fearless urgency: “Charioteer, go at once and deliver my message—before Duryodhana and all his warriors, before the Kauravas of Pratīpa’s line such as Bāhlīka, before Kṛpa the son of Śaradvat, before Karṇa the charioteer’s son, before Droṇa and Aśvatthāman, and also before Jayadratha, Duḥśāsana, Vikarṇa, King Duryodhana, and Bhīṣma. Go now—do not delay. This is the message: ‘Kauravas, King Yudhiṣṭhira can be won over only by honorable conduct, not by war. Do not let matters reach a point where Arjuna—protected by the gods—slays you. Quickly restore the kingdom to Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira, and seek forgiveness from the world-renowned hero, the Pāṇḍava Arjuna.’”
धृष्टद्युम्न उवाचेदं मां वचो गतसाध्वसम् |
Educational Q&A
The passage frames dharma as a practical political ethic: Yudhiṣṭhira is to be approached through honorable conduct (sādhunā), not coercion. It warns that refusing justice invites catastrophic violence—symbolized by Arjuna ‘protected by the gods’—and urges restitution and apology as the dharmic alternative to war.
During the tense pre-war negotiations, Dhṛṣṭadyumna instructs a charioteer-messenger to go immediately to the Kaurava assembly and proclaim a forceful warning: return Yudhiṣṭhira’s kingdom at once and seek Arjuna’s forgiveness, or face destruction in battle.