Shloka 16
अर्जुनोक्तिः—कृष्णं प्रति पुरुषकार‑कर्म‑विचारः
Arjuna’s Address to Krishna: Agency, Action, and Immediate Counsel
शमं चेत् ते करिष्यन्ति ततो5नन्तं यशो मम । भवतां च कृत: कामस्तेषां च श्रेय उत्तमम्,यदि वे संधि स्वीकार कर लेंगे तो मुझे अक्षय यशकी प्राप्ति होगी। तुमलोगोंका मनोरथ भी पूर्ण होगा और कौरवोंका भी परम कल्याण होगा
śamaṃ cet te kariṣyanti tato 'nantaṃ yaśo mama | bhavatāṃ ca kṛtaḥ kāmas teṣāṃ ca śreya uttamam ||
Bhīmasena said: “If they will make peace, then imperishable fame will be mine. Your wish will be fulfilled, and for them too it will be the highest good.”
भीमसेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Peace (śama) is presented as ethically superior because it fulfills legitimate aims without bloodshed and becomes the ‘highest good’ (śreya uttamam) even for opponents; true glory (yaśas) can arise from restraint and reconciliation, not only from victory in war.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations, Bhīma speaks about the possibility of a settlement: if the Kauravas accept peace, he says it will bring him lasting renown, satisfy the hopes of his own side, and secure the Kauravas’ greatest welfare—framing compromise as beneficial to all parties.