Shloka 10
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Duryodhana Dialogue on Peace and the Refusal of Compromise
दुर्योधन उवाच नाहं भवति न द्रोणे नाश्वृत्थाम्नि न संजये । न भीष्मे न च काम्बोजे न कृपे न च बाह्लिके
duryodhana uvāca | nāhaṃ bhavati na droṇe nāśvatthāmni na saṃjaye | na bhīṣme na ca kāmboje na kṛpe na ca bāhlike |
Duryodhana said: “Father, I have not challenged the Pāṇḍavas to war by placing the whole burden upon you—nor upon Droṇa, nor upon Aśvatthāman, nor upon Sañjaya; nor upon Bhīṣma, nor upon the king of Kāmboja, nor upon Kṛpa, nor upon Bāhlīka.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds leadership accountability: Duryodhana claims he has not shifted the moral and strategic burden of initiating war onto revered elders and allies. Ethically, it highlights the tension between asserting personal agency and the reality that one’s choices still implicate teachers, elders, and the wider polity.
In Udyoga Parva, as war becomes imminent, Duryodhana addresses his father Dhṛtarāṣṭra and names key Kaurava champions. He insists that he did not invite the Pāṇḍavas to battle by relying on these great warriors to bear the entire responsibility, presenting himself as the principal decision-maker behind the confrontation.