Shloka 126
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय ७७: पुरुषकार–दैवसंयोगः तथा दुष्टमन्त्रपरामर्शस्य राजनैतिक-परिणामः
Human Effort, Contingency, and the Political Effects of Corrupt Counsel
उपायेन नृशंसेन हता दुर्द्यूतदेविना । श्रीकृष्ण! कौरवोंके साथ हमारी संधि हो अथवा आप जो कुछ करना चाहते हों, वही हो। विचार करनेपर हम इसी निष्कर्षपर पहुँचते हैं कि आपकी जो इच्छा हो, वही हमारे लिये गौरव तथा समादरकी वस्तु है। वह दुष्टात्मा दुर्योधन अपने पुत्रों और बन्धु- बान्धवोंसहित वधके ही योग्य है, जो धर्मपुत्र युधिष्ठिके पास आयी हुई सम्पत्ति देखकर उसे सहन न कर सका। इतना ही नहीं, जब कपटटद्यूतका आश्रय लेनेवाले उस क्र्रात्माने किसी धर्मसम्मत उपाय युद्ध आदिको अपने लिये सफलता देनेवाला नहीं देखा, तब कपटपूर्ण उपायसे उस सम्पत्तिका अपहरण कर लिया
arjuna uvāca | upāyena nṛśaṃsena hatā durdyūtadevinā | śrīkṛṣṇa! kauravaiḥ saha asmākaṃ sandhir bhavatu athavā bhavān yat kartum icchati tad eva bhavatu | vicārayataḥ vayam asmin niṣkarṣe prāptāḥ—yā bhavata icchā sā eva asmākaṃ gaurava-samādara-viṣayaḥ | sa duṣṭātmā duryodhanaḥ putraiḥ bandhu-bāndhavaiś ca saha vadhasyaiva yogyaḥ, yaḥ dharmaputra-yudhiṣṭhirasya samīpam āgatāṃ sampattiṃ dṛṣṭvā tāṃ soḍhuṃ na śaśāka | api ca, kapata-dyūta-āśrayaṃ kṛtvā tena krūrātmanā yadā dharmasaṃmata-upāyena yuddhādibhiḥ svārtha-siddhiṃ na dṛṣṭā, tadā kapatopāyenaiva tasyāḥ sampatteḥ apaharaṇaṃ kṛtam |
Arjuna said: “By a cruel stratagem we were struck down by that gambler Duryodhana. O Śrī Kṛṣṇa, let there be peace with the Kauravas—or else, whatever you wish to do, let that be done. On reflection we arrive at this conclusion: whatever is your will is, for us, the very object of honor and rightful regard. That wicked-souled Duryodhana, together with his sons and kinsmen, deserves only death—he who could not endure the sight of the wealth that had come to Dharmaputra Yudhiṣṭhira. And further: when that cruel man, having taken refuge in deceitful dice, saw that no righteous means—war and the like—would bring him success, he seized that wealth by fraud.”
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage contrasts dharma-approved conduct with fraudulent strategy: Arjuna condemns wealth seized through deceit (kapata-dyūta) and affirms that ethical legitimacy matters. At the same time, he places trust in Kṛṣṇa’s judgment—accepting peace if possible, but recognizing that persistent adharma may warrant decisive punishment.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Arjuna addresses Kṛṣṇa about the Pandavas’ course of action. He recalls how Duryodhana used the rigged dice game to dispossess them, argues that Duryodhana cannot tolerate Yudhiṣṭhira’s prosperity, and concludes that Kṛṣṇa should decide whether to pursue treaty (sandhi) or the path leading to war.