Shloka 34
Droṇa’s Conditional Boon: The Plan to Capture Yudhiṣṭhira (द्रोणेन युधिष्ठिरग्रहणोपायः)
यदि सम कुरव: सर्वे जयेयुर्नाम पाण्डवान् | वार्ष्णेयो<र्थाय तेषां वै गृह्नीयाच्छस्त्रमुत्तमम्,यदि सब कौरव पाण्डवोंको जीत लें तो वृष्णिवंशभूषण भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण उनके हितके लिये अवश्य उत्तम शस्त्र ग्रहण कर लेंगे
yadi sama kuravaḥ sarve jayeyur nāma pāṇḍavān | vārṣṇeyo 'rthāya teṣāṃ vai gṛhnīyāc chastram uttamam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Even if all the Kauravas were to overcome the Pāṇḍavas, the Vārṣṇeya (Kṛṣṇa), for their welfare, would certainly take up the finest weapon.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that when righteousness and the welfare of the devoted are at stake, Kṛṣṇa—though often restraining himself from direct combat—may intervene decisively. It highlights protective responsibility and the ethical priority of safeguarding those under one’s care.
Vaiśampāyana states a conditional scenario: even if the Kauravas were to gain the upper hand over the Pāṇḍavas, Kṛṣṇa (the Vārṣṇeya) would, for their benefit, take up an excellent weapon—signaling the possibility of divine or extraordinary intervention in the battle’s course.