Shloka 7
Trita in the Well (Udapāna-kathā) — Balarāma’s Tīrtha Observances
न च तत् कृतवान् राजा यथा ख्यातं हि तत् पुरा
na ca tat kṛtavān rājā yathā khyātaṃ hi tat purā | nareśvara kintu rājā dhṛtarāṣṭreṇa bhagavatā na mānitaḥ | etad sarvaṃ pūrvaṃ yathārtharūpeṇa kathitaṃ | mahābāhuḥ puruṣottamo bhagavān śrīkṛṣṇaḥ tatra sandhiṃ kārayituṃ aśaktaḥ san punar upaplavyaṃ eva pratyāgacchat |
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Wahai raja manusia! Sang raja tidak bertindak sebagaimana yang dahulu dikenal sebagai tepat dan benar; Dhṛtarāṣṭra tidak menerima nasihat Sang Bhagavān. Semua ini telah diceritakan sebelumnya apa adanya. Karena perdamaian tak berhasil dicapai di sana, Śrī Kṛṣṇa—yang berlengan perkasa, Puruṣottama—kembali lagi ke Upaplavya.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s ethical duty includes listening to righteous counsel; when a king refuses the guidance of a wise and benevolent adviser, the possibility of peace diminishes and the path toward conflict becomes morally and practically inevitable.
Vaiśampāyana recalls that Dhṛtarāṣṭra did not accept the Lord’s advice; since Kṛṣṇa could not accomplish a peace settlement, he returned to Upaplavya, marking the failure of diplomacy before the war’s escalation.