Shloka 24
अज्ञानाद् वा भयाद् वापि मयि बाले जनार्दन । न तदद्य पुनर्लभ्यं पाण्डवैर्वष्णिनन्दन,“जनार्दन! जबतक राजा धृतराष्ट्र जीवित हैं, तबतक हमें और पाण्डवोंको हथियार न उठाकर शान्तिपूर्वक जीवन बिताना चाहिये। वृष्णिनन्दन श्रीकृष्ण! पहले भी जो पाण्डवोंको राज्यका अंश दिया गया था, वह उन्हें देना उचित नहीं था; परंतु मैं उन दिनों बालक एवं पराधीन था, अत: अज्ञान अथवा भयसे जो कुछ उन्हें दे दिया गया था, उसे अब पाण्डव पुन: नहीं पा सकते
ajñānād vā bhayād vāpi mayi bāle janārdana | na tad adya punar labhyaṃ pāṇḍavair vṛṣṇinandana ||
વૈશંપાયન બોલ્યા—હે જનાર્દન! હું બાળક હતો ત્યારે અજ્ઞાન કે ભયથી મારા નામે જે અપાયું હતું, હે વૃષ્ણિનંદન, તે આજે પાંડવો ફરી મેળવી શકશે નહીં.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how decisions made under ignorance or fear—especially when authority is weak or immature—create contested legitimacy later. Ethically, it points to the tension between what was once conceded under pressure and what is later claimed as rightful, showing how coercion and incapacity undermine stable dharma in governance.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations, the speaker frames an earlier grant to the Pāṇḍavas as something that occurred when he was ‘a child’ and thus not fully autonomous. He argues that what was given then—due to ignorance or fear—cannot now be reclaimed by the Pāṇḍavas, reflecting hardening political positions as diplomacy falters.