Shloka 19
बल॑ बलवदप्यस्य यदि वक्ष्यसि माधव । त्वय्यस्य महती शड्का न करिष्यति ते वच:,“माधव! दुर्योधनके पास प्रबल सैन्यबल है। इसके सिवा आपपर उसे महान संदेह है। अतः आप यदि उससे अच्छी बात कहेंगे, तो भी वह आपकी बात नहीं मानेगा
balam balavad apy asya yadi vakṣyasi mādhava | tvayy asya mahatī śaṅkā na kariṣyati te vacaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Mādhava, Duryodhana’s military strength is formidable. Beyond that, he harbors deep suspicion toward you. Therefore, even if you speak to him with wise and beneficial counsel, he will not accept your words.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power and suspicion can block ethical counsel: when a leader is fortified by strength and distrust, even well-intended advice may fail, highlighting the limits of persuasion without receptivity and trust.
Vaiśampāyana warns Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa) that Duryodhana, confident in his army and suspicious of Kṛṣṇa, is unlikely to heed any conciliatory or wise speech—foreshadowing the failure of peace efforts before the war.