Shloka 11
Virāṭa-sabhāyāṃ Saṃniveśaḥ — Assembly at Virāṭa’s Hall and Kṛṣṇa’s Diplomatic Counsel
शक्तैविंजेतुं तरसा महीं च सत्ये स्थितै: सत्यरथैर्यथावत् । पाण्डो: सुतैस्तद् व्रतमुग्ररूप॑ं वर्षाणि षट् सप्त च चीर्णमग्रयै:
śaktā evaṁ jetuṁ tarasā mahīṁ ca satye sthitaiḥ satyarathair yathāvat | pāṇḍoḥ sutais tad vrataṁ ugrarūpaṁ varṣāṇi ṣaṭ sapta ca cīrṇam agryaiḥ ||
Solidement établis dans la vérité—la vérité elle-même étant leur char et leur refuge—les fils de Pāṇḍu avaient la puissance de conquérir d’un élan la terre entière, pleinement. Pourtant, ces héros d’élite, soucieux de la vérité, endurèrent et menèrent à terme, sans fléchir, ce vœu farouche dans sa forme la plus rude : six années et sept encore—treize ans d’exil et de dissimulation—sans jamais dévier.
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral power is shown not only in the ability to win kingdoms but in steadfast commitment to satya (truth) and vrata (a pledged duty). The Pāṇḍavas could have seized power by force, yet they chose to honor their pledged terms of exile, presenting truthfulness and self-restraint as higher than immediate victory.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa describes the Pāṇḍavas’ strength and legitimacy: they are capable of conquering the earth quickly, but they deliberately endured the full thirteen-year vow of forest exile and incognito living. This underscores their ethical standing as the conflict moves toward negotiation and war.