Shloka 3
स्त्रीपर्व — अध्याय १५: गान्धारी-युधिष्ठिर-संवादः
Gandhārī’s Confrontation and Consolation of Yudhiṣṭhira
न हि युद्धेन पुत्रस्ते धर्म्येण स महाबल: । शक्य: केनचिदुद्यन्तुमतो विषममाचरम्,“आपके उस महाबली पुत्रको कोई भी धर्मानुकूल युद्ध करके मारनेका साहस नहीं कर सकता था; अतः मैंने विषमतापूर्ण बर्ताव किया
na hi yuddhena putras te dharmyeṇa sa mahābalaḥ | śakyaḥ kenacid udyantuṁ ato viṣamam ācaram ||
For your son, so mighty, could not have been brought down by anyone through a righteous, rule-bound battle. Therefore I resorted to an uneven course of action—conduct that departs from fair combat.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts dharmya-yuddha (righteous, rule-governed warfare) with viṣama-ācāra (uneven or unfair conduct), highlighting the ethical tension where perceived necessity leads one to abandon ideal standards of justice.
Vaishampayana reports a justification addressed to a listener: the opponent’s son was so powerful that no one could defeat him in a fair battle, and thus the speaker claims to have adopted an irregular or unfair method to bring about his fall.