Shloka 12
Dambhodbhava, Nara-Nārāyaṇa, and the Counsel to Abandon Hubris
Udyoga-parva 94
शक्या चेयं शमयितु त्वं चेदिच्छसि भारत । न दुष्करो ह्ात्र शमो मतो मे भरतर्षभ
śakyā ceyaṃ śamayituṃ tvaṃ ced icchasi bhārata | na duṣkaro hy atra śamo mato me bharatarṣabha ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O Bhārata, if you truly wish it, this crisis can still be pacified. O bull among the Bharatas, in my judgment reconciliation here is not a difficult task.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Peace is presented as achievable when there is genuine willingness; ethical responsibility lies in choosing conciliation over escalation, especially before violence becomes inevitable.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war setting, Vaiśampāyana frames the looming calamity as still preventable and urges that a settlement between the opposing sides is feasible if the addressed Kuru leader truly desires it.