Shloka 40
Kṛṣṇa at Duryodhana’s House: Refusal of Hospitality and Departure to Vidura (कृष्णस्य धार्तराष्ट्रनिवेशनगमनम्)
चित्रयोधी च नकुलो महेष्वासो महाबल: । कच्चित् सकुशली कृष्ण वत्सो मम सुखैधित:
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
citrayodhī ca nakulo maheṣvāso mahābalaḥ |
kaccit sakuśalī kṛṣṇa vatso mama sukhaiḍhitaḥ ||
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: «Y Nakula —diestro en las maravillosas artes de la guerra, gran arquero y hombre de fuerza poderosa—, oh Kṛṣṇa, ¿se halla bien mi hijo amado? ¿Ha crecido y prosperado en dicha bajo mi cuidado?»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid impending conflict, the epic foregrounds humane concern: asking after another’s welfare—especially of the young and those bound by duty—reflects dharma as compassion, responsibility, and relational care, not merely strategy.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war exchanges, an elder (speaking through Vaiśampāyana’s narration) anxiously inquires of Kṛṣṇa about Nakula’s safety and flourishing, praising his martial excellence while expressing parental affection and concern.