Shloka 13
Kṛṣṇasya Karṇam Prati Sāntvavacana
Kṛṣṇa’s Conciliatory Address to Karṇa
द्रौपदीसहितं पार्थ सायुधैर्भ्नातृभिर्वृतम् । वनस्थमपि राज्यस्थ: पाण्डवं को विजेष्यति,अपने अस्त्र-शस्त्रधारी भाइयोंसे घिरे हुए द्रौपदी-सहित पाण्डुनन्दन युधिष्ठिर वनमें रहें तो भी उन्हें राज्यसिंहासनपर बैठा हुआ कौन नरेश युद्धमें जीत सकेगा?
drau-padī-sahitaṃ pārtha sāyudhair bhrātṛbhir vṛtam | vanastham api rājyasthaḥ pāṇḍavaṃ ko vijeṣyati ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô Pārtha, qui pourrait vaincre au combat ce Pāṇḍava—Yudhiṣṭhira—lorsqu’il est avec Draupadī et entouré de ses frères porteurs d’armes ? Même s’il demeure dans la forêt, il est, en vérité, digne du trône royal ; un tel homme ne se laisse pas aisément abattre.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma emphasizes that true royal strength and legitimacy rest on righteous leadership supported by capable allies; even in exile, the Pāṇḍava’s inherent fitness to rule and the protection of his armed brothers make him effectively unconquerable.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war counsel, Bhīṣma speaks to a Pāṇḍava addressee (“Pārtha”), praising the Pāṇḍavas’ combined power: with Draupadī present and the brothers armed and united, no king can realistically defeat the Pāṇḍava, even if he is living in the forest.