Shloka 28
धृतराष्ट्र-संजय संवादः — उपप्लव्यगमनाज्ञा
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Saṃjaya Dialogue: Command to Proceed to Upaplavya
तमसहां केशवं तत्र मत्वा सुग्रीवयुक्तेन रथेन कृष्णम् सम्प्राद्रव॑श्षेदिपतिं विहाय सिंहं दृष्टवा क्षुद्रमृूगा इवान्ये
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: tam asahāṃ Keśavaṃ tatra matvā Sugrīva-yuktena rathena Kṛṣṇam, samprādravac Cedi-patiṃ vihāya siṃhaṃ dṛṣṭvā kṣudra-mṛgā ivānye. Na karmaṇā sādhunā ekena nūnaṃ sukhaṃ śakyaṃ vai bhavatīha, Sañjaya; sarvātmanā parijetaṃ vayaṃ cen na śaknumo Dhṛtarāṣṭrasya putram.
Vaiśampāyana said: Taking Keśava—Kṛṣṇa—there to be irresistible as he mounted a chariot yoked with Sugrīva and other steeds, the other kings, leaving aside the lord of Cedi, fled away like small forest animals that scatter at the sight of a lion. And (the thought is this), Sañjaya: if we are not able to overcome Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son by every means and with our whole strength, then surely it will not be possible here to secure peace and happiness merely by a single ‘good’ act or polite conduct. Ethical intention alone, without the power to restrain wrongdoing, cannot compel a hardened aggressor into concord.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral persuasion alone cannot secure peace when the opponent is unrestrained and power-driven; to protect dharma and establish stability, one must also have the capacity to check and subdue adharma through comprehensive means.
Kṛṣṇa appears as an overwhelming presence on his chariot; most kings panic and flee like small animals before a lion, with the Cedi king singled out. The passage then pivots to a sober assessment addressed to Sañjaya: without the ability to fully defeat Duryodhana, mere ‘good conduct’ will not bring about peace.