Shloka 52
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 71 — Kṣatra-dharma Counsel, Public Legitimacy, and Mobilization
जयो नैवोभयोर्दष्टो नोभयोश्व॒ पराजय: । तथैवापचयो दृष्टो व्यपयाने क्षयव्ययौ
jayo naivobhayor dṛṣṭo nobhayoś ca parājayaḥ | tathaivāpacayo dṛṣṭo vyapayāne kṣaya-vyayau ||
Dalam pertikaian semacam itu, tidak pernah terlihat kedua pihak sama-sama menang, dan tidak pula keduanya sama-sama kalah. Yang pasti terlihat adalah kemerosotan: harta dan kemegahan kedua pihak menyusut. Bahkan pihak yang membalikkan badan dan lari pun tetap menanggung keruntuhan harta dan rakyatnya.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
War does not yield a clean, shared good: even when neither side can claim an unambiguous outcome, what is reliably produced is depletion—loss of people, wealth, and stability. Hence a dharmic ruler should weigh the inevitable human and material cost before choosing conflict.
In Udyoga Parva, as negotiations and preparations for the Kurukṣetra war intensify, Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on the real results of armed confrontation. He argues that whether one advances or retreats, the visible outcome is mutual diminishment—underscoring his preference for settlement over war.