Shloka 16
सेनापति-निर्णयः तथा पाण्डवसेनायाः कुरुक्षेत्रगमनम्
Decision on Command and the Pandavas’ March to Kurukshetra
प्रयच्छन्तु च ते राज्यमनीशास्ते भवन्तु च | यथा<55ह राजा गाड़ेयो विदुरश्ष हितं तव
prayacchantu ca te rājyam anīśās te bhavantu ca | yathā hi rājā gāḍeyo viduraś ca hitaṃ tava ||
Bahkan mereka dapat menyerahkan kerajaan itu kepadamu dan hidup tanpa kedaulatan, tetap berada di bawah kuasamu. Maka lakukanlah sebagaimana nasihat Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Bhīṣma, dan Vidura demi kebaikanmu: biarkan seluruh negeri tetap padamu; berikan kepada Pāṇḍava hanya lima desa, sebab menanggung hidup putra-putra ayahmu pun adalah dharma.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ethical statecraft as choosing peace over pride: even a minimal concession (five villages) and honoring wise counsel is preferable to escalating a family dispute into catastrophic war. It also stresses the ruler’s duty to provide for kinsmen as part of dharma.
In Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations, Vāyudeva urges the Kuru side to accept a peace settlement: the Pāṇḍavas are portrayed as willing to live under Kuru authority, and the listener is told to follow Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Bhīṣma, and Vidura’s welfare-oriented advice by granting the Pāṇḍavas only five villages.