Shloka 93
यद् यद् धर्मेण संयुक्तमुपपद्येद्धितं वच: । तत् तत् केशव भाषेथा: सान्त्वं वा यदि वेतरत्,केशव! जो-जो बात धर्मसंगत, युक्तियुक्त और हितकर हो, वह सब कोमल हो या कठोर, आप अवश्य कहें
yad yad dharmeṇa saṃyuktam upapadyed dhitaṃ vacaḥ | tat tat keśava bhāṣethāḥ sāntvaṃ vā yadi vetarat ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Keśava, whatever words are in harmony with dharma—reasonable, fitting, and conducive to welfare—speak them all. Whether they are gentle words of conciliation or, if needed, their opposite (firm and stern), you should say what is right and beneficial.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Speech should be governed by dharma and welfare: one must say what is reasonable and beneficial, choosing gentle conciliation when possible, but not shrinking from firm or stern truth when the situation demands it.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations, Yudhiṣṭhira urges Keśava (Kṛṣṇa), acting as a key counselor and mediator, to speak whatever counsel best accords with dharma and the common good—whether soothing or uncompromising—so that the right course may be pursued amid escalating conflict.