Shloka 29
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Duryodhana Dialogue on Peace and the Refusal of Compromise
वैशम्पायन उवाच एतावदुक्त्वा राजा तु सर्वास्तान् पृथिवीपतीन् । अनुभाष्य महाराज पुन: पप्रच्छ संजयम्
vaiśampāyana uvāca | etāvad uktvā rājā tu sarvās tān pṛthivīpatīn | anubhāṣya mahārāja punaḥ papraccha sañjayam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Having said only this much, the king then addressed all those rulers of the earth. After speaking further with them, O great king, he again questioned Sañjaya.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights responsible kingship: a ruler consults, addresses other leaders, and repeatedly seeks informed counsel before decisive action—an ethical posture especially vital when choices may lead to war.
The narrator Vaiśampāyana reports that the king, after speaking briefly and addressing the assembled kings, turns again to Sañjaya with further questions, indicating an ongoing deliberation in the tense pre-war setting of the Udyoga Parva.