Shloka 12
धृतराष्ट्रस्य संजयप्रश्नः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Inquiry to Saṃjaya on Strategic Comparisons
यथा श्रुतं ते वदतो महात्मनो मधुप्रवीरस्य वच: समाहितम् | तथैव वाच्यं भवता हि मद्वच: समागतेषु क्षितिपेषु सर्वश:,“संजय! मधुवंशके प्रमुख वीर महात्मा श्रीकृष्णने एकाग्रचित्त होकर जो बात कही है और तुमने इसे जैसा सुना है, वह सब ज्यों-का-त्यों सुना देना। फिर समस्त समागत भूपालोंकी मण्डलीमें मेरी यह बात कहना--
yathā śrutaṃ te vadato mahātmano madhupravīrasya vacaḥ samāhitam | tathaiva vācyaṃ bhavatā hi madvacaḥ samāgateṣu kṣitipeṣu sarvaśaḥ |
Sañjaya said: “Just as you heard it—those words spoken with collected mind by the great-souled hero of the Madhu line—so must you repeat them exactly. And then, in the full assembly of the kings who have gathered, you must also proclaim my message everywhere.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes faithful, unbiased transmission of speech—reporting exactly what was heard, especially in matters of statecraft where truthfulness and precision shape ethical and political outcomes.
Sañjaya frames an instruction to a messenger: Kṛṣṇa’s carefully spoken words must be repeated verbatim, and an additional message from the speaker is to be announced before the gathered kings, reflecting the tense diplomatic setting before war.