Shloka 556
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 71 — Kṣatra-dharma Counsel, Public Legitimacy, and Mobilization
निर्वेदो जीविते कृष्ण सर्वतश्नोपजायते । युद्ध समाप्त होनेतक कितने ही विपक्षी सैनिक विजयी योद्धाके अनेक प्रियजनोंको मार डालते हैं। जो विजय पाता है, वह भी (कुटुम्ब और धनसम्बन्धी) बलसे शून्य हो जाता है और कृष्ण! जब वह युद्धमें मारे गये अपने पुत्रों और भाइयोंको नहीं देखता है, तो वह सब ओरसे विरक्त हो जाता है; उसे अपने जीवनसे भी वैराग्य हो जाता है
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | nirvedo jīvite kṛṣṇa sarvataś copajāyate | yuddha-samāpta-hone-tak kitne hī vipakṣī sainik vijayī yoddhā-ke aneka priya-janon-ko mār ḍālte haiṃ | jo vijaya pātā hai, vah bhī (kuṭumba aura dhana-sambandhī) bala-se śūnya ho jātā hai aur kṛṣṇa! jab vah yuddha-meṃ māre gaye apne putroṃ aura bhrātṛoṃ ko nahīṃ dekhtā hai, to vah sab ora-se virakta ho jātā hai; use apne jīvan-se bhī vairāgya ho jātā hai |
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O Kṛṣṇa, disgust with life arises from every side. Until the war is brought to an end, countless opposing soldiers strike down many dear ones of even the victorious hero. And the one who wins is left bereft of strength—of family and of wealth. O Kṛṣṇa, when he no longer sees his sons and brothers slain in battle, he becomes detached from everything on all sides; he even grows weary of his own life.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even victory in war can be ethically and emotionally ruinous: the winner may lose family, support, and inner stability, leading to disenchantment (nirveda) and dispassion (vairāgya). The verse highlights the moral cost of violence and the hollowness of triumph purchased through widespread death.
In Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Yudhiṣṭhira speaks to Kṛṣṇa, reflecting on how prolonged conflict destroys both sides. He stresses that as the war drags on, dear ones are killed, and even the victor ends up bereft—so grief and detachment overwhelm the survivor.