Shloka 9
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय १२५: दुर्योधनस्य प्रत्युत्तरम्
Duryodhana’s Reply in the Kuru Assembly
कृतास्त्रा: क्षिप्रमस्यन्तस्तावच्छाम्यतु वैशसम् । “नकुल, सहदेव, द्रुपदपुत्र धृष्टद्युम्न, विराट, शिखण्डी तथा शिशुपालपुत्र धृष्टकेतु--ये अस्त्रविद्यामें निपुण महान् वीर कवच धारण करके महासागरमें घुसे हुए ग्राहोंकी भाँति तुम्हारी सेनाके भीतर जबतक प्रवेश नहीं करते हैं, तभीतक यह जनसंहारका संकल्प शान्त हो जाना चाहिये ।। ७-८ ह ।। यावन्न सुकुमारेषु शरीरेषु महीक्षिताम्
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: kṛtāstrāḥ kṣipram asyantas tāvac chāmyatu vaiśasam | “Nakula, Sahadeva, Drupadaputra Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Virāṭa, Śikhaṇḍī tathā Śiśupālaputra Dhṛṣṭaketu—ye astravidyāyāṃ nipuṇā mahān vīrāḥ kavacaṃ dhārayitvā mahāsāgareṣu grāhā iva tava senāyāḥ antar yāvat praviśanti, tāvat eṣa janasaṃhārasaṅkalpaḥ śāntaḥ bhavitum arhati || yāvan na sukumāreṣu śarīreṣu mahīkṣitām …”
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Biarlah kegilaan pembantaian ini ditahan dahulu, sementara para kesatria yang telah sempurna dalam ilmu senjata melepaskan serangan dengan cepat. Nakula, Sahadeva, Dhṛṣṭadyumna putra Drupada, Virāṭa, Śikhaṇḍin, dan Dhṛṣṭaketu putra Śiśupāla—para pahlawan besar berzirah, mahir dalam ilmu misil—akan menerjang ke dalam pasukanmu laksana buaya memasuki samudra. Hingga mereka menembus barisanmu, tekad untuk pembunuhan massal patut diredakan—sebelum tubuh-tubuh lembut para raja berguguran.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid inevitable war, the text foregrounds restraint: the ‘resolve for mass slaughter’ should be checked, and violence should not become indiscriminate. Martial skill and valor are acknowledged, but ethical control over rage and escalation is urged—especially before vulnerable bodies are destroyed.
Vaiśampāyana reports a warning/counsel in a warlike setting: renowned, armor-clad heroes—Nakula, Sahadeva, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Virāṭa, Śikhaṇḍin, and Dhṛṣṭaketu—are described as about to penetrate the enemy host like crocodiles entering the sea. Until that decisive engagement, the speaker urges that the impulse toward wholesale killing be calmed.