Shloka 10
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 27 — Saṃjaya’s Counsel on Dharma, Desire, and the Non-Perishing of Karma
यदि हाहं विसृजन् साम गहाों नियुध्यमानो यदि जहां स्वधर्मम् । महायशा: केशवस्तद् ब्रवीतु वासुदेवस्तूभयोरर्थकाम:
yadi hāhaṁ visṛjan sāma gāḍhaṁ niyudhyamāno yadi jahyāṁ svadharmam | mahāyaśāḥ keśavas tad bravītu vāsudevas tūbhayor arthakāmaḥ ||
Dijo Yudhiṣṭhira: «Si, abandonando la conciliación, yo entrara en una batalla feroz, y si al hacerlo dejara de lado mi propio deber, que el ilustre Keśava me diga lo que es justo. Que Vāsudeva, que busca el bien verdadero de ambos bandos, declare el rumbo que sirva a nuestro bienestar.»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic dilemma: when peaceful conciliation (sāma) fails, entering war may be necessary, yet one must ensure it does not become a lapse from svadharma. Yudhiṣṭhira therefore seeks Kṛṣṇa’s guidance as a moral arbiter who aims at the true welfare of both sides.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations, Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on the consequences of abandoning diplomacy and taking up battle. He turns to Kṛṣṇa (Keśava/Vāsudeva) to state what course is right and beneficial amid the escalating conflict.