Shloka 8
उद्योगपर्व (अध्याय १२९) — केशवस्य वैभवप्रदर्शनम् / Krishna’s Theophanic Display in the Kuru Assembly
तस्माद् वयमिहैवैनं केशवं क्षिप्रकारिणम्
tasmād vayam ihaivainaṃ keśavaṃ kṣiprakāriṇam, krośato dhṛtarāṣṭrasya baddhvā yotsyāmahe ripūn.
«C’est pourquoi, ici même, nous saisirons Keśava, prompt à l’action; et quand bien même le roi Dhṛtarāṣṭra crierait pour s’y opposer, nous le lierons, puis nous combattrons l’ennemi.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a lapse of dharma: the impulse to arrest Keśava (Kṛṣṇa), despite Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s protest, signals the abandonment of ethical restraint and diplomatic norms. It warns that when fear and hostility dominate counsel, leaders commit acts that intensify conflict and invite moral and practical ruin.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations, hostile voices propose capturing Keśava on the spot—binding him even if Dhṛtarāṣṭra objects—and then proceeding to fight the enemies. The line reflects the Kaurava side’s aggressive, unlawful intent during the tense diplomacy preceding the Kurukṣetra war.