Shloka 17
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 71 — Kṣatra-dharma Counsel, Public Legitimacy, and Mobilization
न च तानपि दवुष्टात्मा धार्तराष्ट्रोडनुमन्यते । स्वाम्यमात्मनि मत्वासावतो दुःखतरं नु किम्
na ca tān api duṣṭātmā dhārtarāṣṭro 'numanyate | svāmyam ātmani matvā sa ato duḥkhataraṃ nu kim ||
Namun putra Dhṛtarāṣṭra yang berhati jahat itu bahkan tidak menyetujui (permintaan) itu. Menganggap segala sesuatu berada di bawah kekuasaannya sendiri, ia menolak memberikan bahkan lima desa. Wahai Govinda, duka apakah yang lebih besar dari ini?
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse condemns possessiveness and unjust claims to sovereignty: when a ruler treats all as his personal property and refuses even a minimal, fair settlement, it becomes a profound ethical failure that makes peace impossible and pushes society toward war.
During the peace efforts before the Kurukṣetra war, Yudhiṣṭhira laments that Duryodhana will not agree even to the modest request of five villages for the Pāṇḍavas, insisting on absolute ownership; Yudhiṣṭhira frames this refusal as the greatest cause of grief and a sign that conflict is becoming inevitable.