Shloka 40
Kṛṣṇa at Duryodhana’s House: Refusal of Hospitality and Departure to Vidura (कृष्णस्य धार्तराष्ट्रनिवेशनगमनम्)
चित्रयोधी च नकुलो महेष्वासो महाबल: । कच्चित् सकुशली कृष्ण वत्सो मम सुखैधित:
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
citrayodhī ca nakulo maheṣvāso mahābalaḥ |
kaccit sakuśalī kṛṣṇa vatso mama sukhaiḍhitaḥ ||
वैशम्पायन बोले—श्रीकृष्ण! युद्ध की विचित्र कलाओं में निपुण, महान धनुर्धर और महाबली मेरा प्रिय वत्स नकुल क्या कुशल से है? क्या वह मेरे पालन में सुखपूर्वक बढ़ा और फला-फूला है?
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid impending conflict, the epic foregrounds humane concern: asking after another’s welfare—especially of the young and those bound by duty—reflects dharma as compassion, responsibility, and relational care, not merely strategy.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war exchanges, an elder (speaking through Vaiśampāyana’s narration) anxiously inquires of Kṛṣṇa about Nakula’s safety and flourishing, praising his martial excellence while expressing parental affection and concern.