Shloka 52
Dambhodbhava, Nara-Nārāyaṇa, and the Counsel to Abandon Hubris
Udyoga-parva 94
शक््यं किमन्यद् वक्तुं ते दानादन्यज्जनेश्वर । ब्रुवन्तु ते महीपाला: सभायां ये समासते
śakyaṃ kim anyad vaktuṃ te dānād anyaj janeśvara | bruvantu te mahīpālāḥ sabhāyāṃ ye samāsate ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “O lord of men, what else can be said to you here, save the counsel to restore what is due? Let the kings seated in this assembly speak for themselves, weighing dharma and artha, whether I speak rightly. O best of men, free these kṣatriyas from the noose of death by restoring the Pāṇḍavas’ kingdom.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames restitution as the ethically decisive act: returning what is rightfully owed (the Pāṇḍavas’ kingdom) is presented as the only meaningful counsel, because it aligns with dharma and also prevents catastrophic loss of life—thus harmonizing moral duty with practical statecraft (artha).
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, the speaker urges the addressed ruler to avert impending destruction. He calls on the assembled kings to judge the matter by dharma and artha, and insists that restoring the Pāṇḍavas’ kingdom is the sure way to free the kṣatriyas from the ‘noose of death’—i.e., the war that will otherwise follow.