Shloka 16
Udyoga Parva, Adhyaya 52: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Appraisal of Pāṇḍava Strength and the Case for Restraint
न तु नः क्लिश्यमानानामुपेक्षेत युधिष्ठिर: । जुगुप्सति हाधर्मेण मामेवोद्धिश्य कारणम्
na tu naḥ kliśyamānānām upekṣeta yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | jugupsati hādharmena mām evoddhiśya kāraṇam ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra berkata: “Namun Yudhiṣṭhira tidak akan mengabaikan kami ketika melihat kami tertimpa derita. Ia mengecamku—menganggap aku seoranglah penyebabnya—karena tindak adharma yang telah menyulut dan membesarkan pertikaian ini. Maka, bila usul perdamaian disampaikan melalui diriku, mengapa ia tidak akan menyetujuinya?”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid political hostility, a dharmic person like Yudhiṣṭhira is portrayed as unwilling to abandon suffering relatives; the verse highlights moral accountability—conflict born of adharma invites censure, and peace-making should appeal to conscience rather than pride.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations, Dhṛtarāṣṭra reasons about Yudhiṣṭhira’s likely response: Yudhiṣṭhira blames Dhṛtarāṣṭra for enabling unrighteous escalation, yet Dhṛtarāṣṭra argues that Yudhiṣṭhira will still not neglect the Kauravas in distress and thus may accept a peace initiative.