Shloka 44
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 71 — Kṣatra-dharma Counsel, Public Legitimacy, and Mobilization
ये पुनः स्युरसम्बद्धा अनार्या: कृष्ण शत्रव: । तेषामप्यवध: कार्य: किं पुनर्ये स्युरीदूशा:
ye punaḥ syur asambaddhā anāryāḥ kṛṣṇa śatravaḥ | teṣām apy avadhaḥ kāryaḥ kiṃ punar ye syur īdṛśāḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai Kṛṣṇa, bahkan terhadap musuh yang tidak memiliki hubungan dengan kami dan berperilaku hina, apakah pembunuhan sungguh patut dilakukan? Apalagi terhadap mereka yang masih kerabat kami sendiri—mulia dan berhati baik—bagaimana mungkin membunuh mereka dapat dibenarkan oleh dharma?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a moral hierarchy: if killing even unrelated, ignoble enemies is questionable, then killing one’s own relatives and well-wishers is even less defensible. It highlights Yudhiṣṭhira’s dharmic hesitation and the demand that warfare be morally justified, not merely expedient.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Kṛṣṇa, voicing deep reluctance about the coming conflict. He argues against slaughter, especially of kin and friends, and presses Kṛṣṇa to consider the ethical cost of war.