जयो वैरं प्रसृजति दुःखमास्ते पराजित:
jayo vairaṃ prasṛjati duḥkham āste parājitaḥ
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Victory gives rise to enmity, while the defeated one remains in sorrow.”
युधिछिर उवाच
The verse teaches that conflict has enduring moral and emotional consequences: victory often breeds fresh hostility, and defeat leaves lingering sorrow. Therefore, a dharmic person should weigh outcomes beyond immediate gain and prefer reconciliation where possible.
In Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Yudhiṣṭhira voices a cautionary insight about the aftermath of battle and rivalry, emphasizing the cycle of resentment and grief that follows winning and losing.