Shloka 5
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय ५४: दुर्योधनस्य धृतराष्ट्रं प्रति बलप्रशंसन-युक्तः आश्वासनवादः
Duryodhana’s Reassurance and Force-Praise to Dhritarashtra
ते युधिष्ठिरमासीनमजि नै: प्रतिवासितम् | कृष्णप्रधाना: संहत्य पर्युपासन्त भारत
te yudhiṣṭhiram āsīnam araṇye pratīvāsitam | kṛṣṇapradhānāḥ saṃhatya paryupāsanta bhārata bhārata |
Wahai Bhārata! Raja-raja itu, dengan Kṛṣṇa sebagai pemimpin, berhimpun dan mendatangi Yudhiṣṭhira yang tinggal di hutan, duduk berselimut kulit rusa dalam laku tapa. Mereka duduk di dekatnya, lalu dengan tekad mencabut engkau beserta sanak-kerabatmu, berkata: “Kewajiban kita ialah merebut kembali kerajaan dari tangan Dhṛtarāṣṭra.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between rightful sovereignty and political ambition: appeals to “duty” (kartavya) can be used to justify aggressive aims, so dharma must be tested by intention, fairness, and the means employed—not merely by slogans of legitimacy.
Duryodhana describes a group of rulers, led by Kṛṣṇa, approaching the exiled Yudhiṣṭhira in the forest and sitting near him to speak; he frames their purpose as seeking to reclaim the kingdom from Dhṛtarāṣṭra, while also implying hostile intent toward Duryodhana and his kin.