Shloka 10
Nakula’s Adaptive Counsel to Kṛṣṇa in the Kuru Assembly (उद्योगपर्व, अध्याय ७८)
न तु मन्ये स तद् वाच्यो यद् युधिष्ठिशासनम् । उक्त प्रयोजन यत् तु धर्मराजेन भारत
arjuna uvāca | na tu manye sa tad vācyaḥ yad yudhiṣṭhiśāsanam | ukta-prayojanaṃ yat tu dharmarājena bhārata ||
Arjuna said: “I do not think it is proper to say that to him—namely, the instruction of Yudhiṣṭhira. And as for the purpose of peace that has been stated by King Dharma (Yudhiṣṭhira), O Bhārata—(I do not deem it fit to present it to Duryodhana), for that sinful stain upon the Kuru line will never accept those terms. If he refuses our proposal, he will indeed become worthy of being slain in this world.”
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Arjuna frames a moral boundary for diplomacy: peace terms grounded in dharma should be offered where there is genuine possibility of acceptance; when a leader is incorrigibly unjust and rejects fair settlement, responsibility shifts toward enforcing justice, even through war, making such a person ‘worthy of being slain’ in the ethical logic of kṣatriya duty.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations, Arjuna comments on Yudhiṣṭhira’s instruction and the stated aim of reconciliation (classically, the request for only five villages). He argues that conveying these humble terms to Duryodhana is futile because Duryodhana will not accept them; refusal would confirm him as deserving punishment, setting the stage for inevitable conflict.