Mahabharata — Ashvamedhika Parva, Shloka 15
Uttanka’s Inquiry and Vāsudeva’s Adhyātma Exposition
Guṇa–Ritual–Immanence Teaching
श्रीभगवानुवाच कृतो यत्नो मया पूर्व सौशाम्ये कौरवान् प्रति । नाशक्यन्त यदा साम्ये ते स्थापयितुमज्जसा
śrībhagavān uvāca kṛto yatno mayā pūrvaṃ sauśāmye kauravān prati | nāśakyanta yadā sāmye te sthāpayitum ajjasā ||
श्रीभगवान बोले—पूर्वकाल में मैंने कौरवों के प्रति मेल-मिलाप और शान्ति के लिए यत्न किया था; पर जब वे सहज ही साम्य-भाव में दृढ़ता से स्थापित न हो सके, तब वह सामंजस्य टिक न पाया।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even sincere and well-intentioned efforts toward peace can fail when the other side refuses to be established in harmony; ethical responsibility includes attempting reconciliation, but outcomes also depend on the recipients’ disposition.
The speaker recalls earlier attempts to pacify the Kauravas and secure a peaceful settlement; the statement frames the inevitability of conflict as arising from the Kauravas’ inability or unwillingness to accept concord.