Shloka 49
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 71 — Kṣatra-dharma Counsel, Public Legitimacy, and Mobilization
युद्धे कृष्ण कलिरनर्नित्यं प्राणा: सीदन्ति संयुगे । बल॑ तु नीतिमाधाय युध्ये जयपराजयौ
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | yuddhe kṛṣṇa kalir anityaṁ prāṇāḥ sīdanti saṁyuge | balaṁ tu nītim ādhāya yudhye jayaparājayau śrīkṛṣṇa ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai Kṛṣṇa, dalam perang selalu ada pertikaian, dan dalam benturan pertempuran nyawa-nyawa merosot lalu binasa. Karena itu aku akan bertempur hanya dengan bersandar pada kekuatan nīti—kebijakan yang benar dan disiplin moral; kemudian, wahai Śrī Kṛṣṇa, biarlah menang atau kalah terjadi menurut kehendak Tuhan.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
War inevitably breeds discord and loss of life; therefore one should act from nīti grounded in dharma, while remaining steady toward victory or defeat as outcomes beyond one’s control.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Kṛṣṇa, acknowledging the destructive nature of battle yet affirming that if fighting becomes unavoidable, he will do so guided by righteous policy and without attachment to the result.