Shloka 12
Trita in the Well (Udapāna-kathā) — Balarāma’s Tīrtha Observances
तेषामपि महाबाहो साहाय्यं॑ मधुसूदन । क्रियतामिति तत् कृष्णो नास्य चक्रे वचस्तदा,“महाबाहु मधुसूदन! उन कौरवोंकी भी सहायता करना। परंतु श्रीकृष्णने उस समय उनकी यह बात नहीं मानी”
teṣām api mahābāho sāhāyyaṁ madhusūdana | kriyatām iti tat kṛṣṇo nāsya cakre vacas tadā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O mighty-armed Madhusūdana, extend your help even to those men (the Kauravas).” Yet at that time Kṛṣṇa did not accept his request. The passage underscores a moral boundary in counsel: assistance is not granted merely because it is asked for, but is weighed against righteousness and the larger ethical order governing the war.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Aid and alliance are not morally neutral; a righteous agent may refuse a request for support when it conflicts with dharma and the just course of action, even if the request is framed as fairness (“help them also”).
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, someone urges Kṛṣṇa—addressed as Mahābāhu and Madhusūdana—to provide assistance even to the Kauravas; Kṛṣṇa declines to comply with that request at that moment.