Mahabharata 3.52.26 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 52, Shloka 26
Nala’s Embassy to Damayantī and the Gods’ Proposal (नलस्य दूतत्वं देवप्रस्तावश्च)
कालो दुर्योधन हन्तुं सानुबन्धमरिंदम । एकाग्रां पृथिवीं सर्वा पुरा राजन् करोति सः:
kālo duryodhana hantuṃ sānubandham ariṃdama | ekāgrāṃ pṛthivīṃ sarvāṃ purā rājan karoti saḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O subduer of foes, the time has come to strike down Duryodhana together with all his allies and kin. O King, this must be done before he succeeds in bringing the whole earth under a single, unified rule.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames decisive action as ethically and strategically time-bound: when adharma consolidates power, delaying response can allow it to unify the realm and become harder to uproot. It highlights kāla (the right moment) as crucial in kṣatriya duty and governance.
Vaiśampāyana reports counsel urging the king to act against Duryodhana immediately—killing him along with his supporting network—before Duryodhana can consolidate sovereignty over the entire earth (i.e., establish uncontested political dominance).
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