Shloka 21
Nakula’s Adaptive Counsel to Kṛṣṇa in the Kuru Assembly (उद्योगपर्व, अध्याय ७८)
सर्वथा तु मया कार्य धर्मराजस्य शासनम् | विभाव्यं तस्य भूयश्व कर्म पापं दुरात्मन:
sarvathā tu mayā kāryaṃ dharmarājasya śāsanam | vibhāvyaṃ tasya bhūyaś ca karma pāpaṃ durātmanaḥ ||
Arjuna said: “In every way, I must carry out the command of Dharmarāja. And if that fails, I must again consider how the wicked Duryodhana is to be made to answer for his sinful deeds.”
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Arjuna frames righteous action as obedience to Dharmarāja’s directive and insists that peace-making must be attempted first; only if reconciliation fails should one deliberate on punitive action against persistent wrongdoing.
In the pre-war negotiations of the Udyoga Parva, Arjuna declares his intention to follow Yudhiṣṭhira’s command to strive for a peace settlement; failing that, he will consider how Duryodhana should be held accountable for his harmful, sinful actions.