Shloka 22
धृतराष्ट्रस्य बलाबलचिन्ता
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Appraisal of Strength and Preference for Śama
क्षयोदयो<यं सुमहान् कुरूणां प्रत्युपस्थित: । अस्य चेत् कलहस्यान्त: शमादन्यो न विद्यते,“कौरवोंके लिये यह महान् विनाशका अवसर उपस्थित हुआ है। तात! यदि इस कलहका अन्त करनेके लिये संधिके सिवा और कोई उपाय नहीं है तो मुझे सदा संधिकी ही बात अच्छी लगती है; कुन्तीपुत्रोंके साथ युद्ध छेड़ना ठीक नहीं है। मैं सदा पाण्डवोंको कौरवोंसे अधिक शक्तिशाली मानता हूँ”
kṣayodayo ’yaṃ sumahān kurūṇāṃ pratyupasthitaḥ | asya cet kalahasyāntaḥ śamād anyo na vidyate ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “A vast turning-point of ruin and upheaval has come upon the Kurus. If the end of this quarrel cannot be achieved by any means other than pacification and settlement, then settlement alone seems right to me. To provoke war with the sons of Kuntī is not proper; I have always regarded the Pāṇḍavas as stronger than the Kauravas.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
When a conflict threatens collective ruin, dharma favors śama—restraint, pacification, and settlement—over escalation into war, especially when war is both morally improper and strategically disastrous.
The narrator frames the Kuru situation as a decisive crisis: destruction is imminent unless the quarrel is ended through peace-making. The statement also underscores the perceived superiority of the Pāṇḍavas, warning against initiating war with them.