Kṛṣṇa at Duryodhana’s House: Refusal of Hospitality and Departure to Vidura (कृष्णस्य धार्तराष्ट्रनिवेशनगमनम्)
सुकुमारो युवा शूरो दर्शनीयश्व पाण्डव: । भ्रातृणां चैव सर्वेषां प्रिय: प्राणो बहिश्चरः
sukumāro yuvā śūro darśanīyaś ca pāṇḍavaḥ | bhrātṝṇāṃ caiva sarveṣāṃ priyaḥ prāṇo bahiścaraḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai Śrī Kṛṣṇa, apakah Pāṇḍava itu—lembut budi namun muda dan gagah, elok dipandang, menjadi napas kehidupan yang dicintai semua saudaranya, dan kerap berkelana di luar—selamat dan sejahtera?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Even amid political crisis and the approach of war, the epic foregrounds dharmic human feeling: genuine concern for the safety of loved ones, and recognition of a person’s virtues (youth, courage, and belovedness) as ethically significant.
In Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations and messages, the speaker (as narrated by Vaiśaṃpāyana) conveys an anxious inquiry to Śrī Kṛṣṇa about the well-being of the Pāṇḍava Nakula, praising his qualities and his dear place among his brothers.