Shloka 93
Vyāsa’s Consolation to Yudhiṣṭhira: Tapas, Kāla, and the Difficulty of Dāna (दान-तपस्-विवेकः)
क्रमेण मृदुना युद्धमुपक्रान्तं च भारत । भारत! परम बुद्धिमान् धर्मपुत्र राजा युधिष्ठिरके पूर्वोक्त वचनोंको स्मरण करके पाण्डवोंने कोमलतापूर्वक ही युद्ध आरम्भ किया
krameṇa mṛdunā yuddham upakrāntaṃ ca bhārata | bhārata! parama-buddhimān dharmaputra rājā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ pūrvokta-vacanāni smaran pāṇḍavaiḥ komalatayā eva yuddham ārabdhaṃ |
Vaiśampāyana said: “O Bhārata, the battle was begun gradually and with restraint. Remembering the earlier counsel spoken to him, the supremely wise Dharmaputra—King Yudhiṣṭhira—had the Pāṇḍavas commence the fighting with gentleness, keeping ethical self-control even amid conflict.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when conflict becomes unavoidable, dharma requires measured action: begin with restraint, avoid needless cruelty, and let wise counsel guide conduct so that power is governed by ethical self-control.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that the Pāṇḍavas, under Yudhiṣṭhira’s leadership, commenced the fighting gradually and gently, because Yudhiṣṭhira remembered earlier advice and chose a restrained approach to war.