Shloka 25
(वृद्धं पितरमालोक्य गान्धारी च यशस्विनीम् | कृपालुर्धर्मराजो हि याचित: शममेष्यति ।। “बूढ़े पिता धृतराष्ट्र और यशस्विनी माता गान्धारीकी ओर देखकर दयालु धर्मराज युधिष्ठिर मेरे अनुरोध करनेपर भी संधि कर लेंगे। यथोचितं च वै राज्यमनुज्ञास्यति ते प्रभु: । विपश्चित् सुमतिर्धीर: सर्वशास्त्रार्थतत्त्ववित् ।। “वे सामर्थ्यशाली, विद्वान, उत्तम बुद्धिसे युक्त, धैर्यवान् तथा सम्पूर्ण शास्त्रोंके तत्त्वको जाननेवाले हैं; अतः तुम्हारे लिये राज्यका जितना भाग उचित है, उसपर शासन करनेके लिये वे तुम्हें स्वयं ही आज्ञा दे देंगे। वैरं नेष्यति धर्मात्मा स्वजने नास्त्यतिक्रम: । न विग्रहमति: कृष्ण: स्वजने प्रतिनन्दति ।। “धर्मात्मा युधिष्ठिर वैर दूर कर देंगे; क्योंकि आत्मीयजनसे कोई भूल हो जाय तो उसे अक्षम्य अपराध नहीं माना जाता। श्रीकृष्ण भी यह नहीं चाहते कि आपसमें कलह हो, वे स्वजनोंपर सदा संतुष्ट रहते हैं। भीमसेनार्जुनौ चोभौ माद्रीपुत्रो च पाण्डवौ | वासुदेवमते चैव पाण्डवस्य च धीमत: ।। स्थास्यन्ति पुरुषव्याप्रास्तयोर्वचनगौरवात् । 'भीमसेन, अर्जुन और दोनों भाई माद्रीकुमार पाण्डुपुत्र नकुल-सहदेव--ये सब लोग भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण तथा बुद्धिमान् युधिष्ठिरकी रायसे चलते हैं; अतः ये पुरुषसिंह वीर उन दोनोंके आदेशका गौरव रखते हुए युद्धसे निवृत्त हो जायूँगे। रक्ष दुर्योधनात्मानमात्मा सर्वस्य भाजनम् ।। जीवने यत्नमातिष्ठ जीवन् भद्राणि पश्यति । “दुर्योधन! तुम स्वयं ही अपनी रक्षा करो। आत्मा ही सब सुखोंका भाजन है। तुम जीवन-रक्षाके लिये प्रयत्न करो। जीवित रहनेवाला पुरुष ही कल्याणका दर्शन करता है। राज्यं श्रीक्षैव भद्रं ते जीवमाने तु कल्पते ।। मृतस्य खलु कौरव्य नैव राज्यं कुतः सुखम् । “तुम्हारा कल्याण हो; तुम जीवित रहोगे, तभी तुम्हें राज्य और लक्ष्मीकी प्राप्ति हो सकती है। कुरुनन्दन! मरे हुएको राज्य नहीं मिलता, फिर सुख कैसे प्राप्त हो सकता है?। लोकवृत्तमिदं वृत्तं प्रवृत्तं पश्य भारत ।। शाम्य त्वं पाण्डवै: सार्थ शेषं कुरुकुलस्य च । “भारत! लोकमें घटित होनेवाले इस प्रचलित व्यवहारकी ओर दृष्टिपात करो; पाण्डवोंके साथ संधि कर लो और कौरवकुलको शेष रहने दो। मा भूत् स काल: कौरव्य यदाहमहितं वच: ।। ब्रूयां काम॑ं महाबाहो मावमंस्था वचो मम । “कुरुनन्दन! ऐसा समय कभी न आवे जब कि मैं इच्छानुसार तुमसे कोई अहितकर बात कहूँ; अतः महाबाहो! तुम मेरी बातका अनादर न करो। धर्मिष्ठमिदमत्यर्थ राज्ञश्चैव कुलस्य च ।। एतद्धि परम॑ श्रेय: कुरुवंशस्य वृद्धये । “मेरा यह कथन धर्मके अनुकूल तथा राजा और राजकुलके लिये अत्यन्त हितकर है; यह कौरववंशकी वृद्धिके लिये परम कल्याणकारी है। प्रजाहितं च गान्धारे कुलस्य च सुखावहम् ।। पथ्यमायतिसंयुक्त कर्णोउप्यर्जुनमाहवे । न जेष्यति नरव्याप्रमिति मे निश्चिता मति: ।। रोचतां ते नरश्रेष्ठ ममैतद् वचन शुभम् । अतो<न््यथा हि राजेन्द्र विनाश: सुमहान् भवेत् ।।) “गान्धारीनन्दन! मेरा यह वचन प्रजाजनोंके लिये हितकर, इस कुलके लिये सुखदायक, लाभकारी तथा भविष्यमें भी मंगलकारक है। नरश्रेष्ठ! मेरी यह निश्चित धारणा है कि कर्ण नरव्याप्र अर्जुनको कदापि जीत न सकेगा; अतः मेरा यह शुभ वचन तुम्हें पसंद आना चाहिये। राजेन्द्र! यदि ऐसा नहीं हुआ तो बड़ा भारी विनाश होगा। इदं च दृष्टं जगता सह त्वया कृतं यदेकेन किरीटमालिना । यथा न कुर्याद् बलभिन्न चान्तको न चापि धाता भगवान् न यक्षराट्
sañjaya uvāca |
vṛddhaṃ pitaram ālokya gāndhārīṃ ca yaśasvinīm |
kṛpālur dharmarājo hi yācitaḥ śamam eṣyati ||
yathocitaṃ ca vai rājyam anujñāsyati te prabhuḥ |
vipaścit sumatir dhīraḥ sarvaśāstrārthatattvavit ||
vairaṃ neṣyati dharmātmā svajane nāsty atikramaḥ |
na vigrahamatiḥ kṛṣṇaḥ svajane pratinandati ||
bhīmasenārjunau cobhau mādrīputro ca pāṇḍavau |
vāsudevamate caiva pāṇḍavasya ca dhīmataḥ ||
sthāsyanti puruṣavyāprās tayoḥ vacanagauravāt |
rakṣa duryodhanātmānam ātmā sarvasya bhājanam ||
jīvane yatnam ātiṣṭha jīvan bhadrāṇi paśyati |
rājyaṃ śrīś caiva bhadraṃ te jīvamāne tu kalpate ||
mṛtasya khalu kauravya naiva rājyaṃ kutaḥ sukham |
lokavṛttam idaṃ vṛttaṃ pravṛttaṃ paśya bhārata |
śāmya tvaṃ pāṇḍavaiḥ sārthaṃ śeṣaṃ kurukulasya ca ||
mā bhūt sa kālaḥ kauravya yad aham ahitaṃ vacaḥ |
brūyāṃ kāmaṃ mahābāho māvamamsthā vaco mama ||
dharmiṣṭham idam atyarthaṃ rājñaś caiva kulasya ca |
etad dhi paramaṃ śreyaḥ kuruvaṃśasya vṛddhaye ||
prajāhitaṃ ca gāndhāre kulasya ca sukhāvaham |
pathyām āyatisamyuktaṃ karṇo 'py arjunam āhave |
na jeṣyati naravyāpram iti me niścitā matiḥ |
rocatāṃ te naraśreṣṭha mamaitad vacanaṃ śubham |
ato 'nyathā hi rājendra vināśaḥ sumahān bhavet ||
idaṃ ca dṛṣṭaṃ jagatā saha tvayā kṛtaṃ yad ekena kirīṭamālinā |
yathā na kuryād balabhinnam ca antako na cāpi dhātā bhagavān na yakṣarāṭ ||
Sanjaya said: “Looking at your aged father and the illustrious Gandhari, the compassionate King Yudhishthira—if entreated—will surely come to peace. That capable lord, discerning, wise-minded, steadfast, and a knower of the true purport of all the śāstras, will himself authorize for you a share of the kingdom that is fitting. That righteous-souled one will not carry enmity against his own kin; among one’s own people, a lapse is not treated as an unforgivable crime. Krishna too does not approve of quarrel among relatives; he remains well-disposed toward his own. Bhimasena and Arjuna, and the two Pandava sons of Madri, will stand by the counsel of Vasudeva and the wise Yudhishthira; honoring the weight of those two men’s words, those lion-like heroes will withdraw from war. Therefore, Duryodhana, protect yourself. The self is the vessel of all good; strive to preserve your life, for only the living behold auspicious outcomes. If you live, welfare, sovereignty, and prosperity are possible; for the dead, O Kaurava, there is no kingdom—how then any happiness? Observe this established way of the world, O Bharata: make peace with the Pandavas and let the Kuru line remain. Let there never come a time, O Kaurava, when I might speak to you, as I please, words that are harmful; O mighty-armed one, do not slight my counsel. This advice is supremely in accord with dharma and greatly beneficial for the king and the dynasty; it is the highest good for the growth of the Kuru house—beneficial to the people, bringing happiness to the family, wholesome and bearing future good. I am firmly convinced that Karna will not defeat the valiant Arjuna in battle. Let this auspicious counsel please you, O best of men; otherwise, O king, a very great destruction will occur. And this too has been witnessed by the world along with you: what has been accomplished by the diadem-wearing one (Arjuna) is such as neither Death, the breaker of strength, nor the blessed Creator, nor the lord of the Yakshas could accomplish.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sanjaya urges Duryodhana toward dharmic prudence: preserve life, seek reconciliation with kin, and accept a fitting share rather than pursue ruinous pride. The ethical thrust is that kinship mitigates fault, peace is superior to internecine war, and political welfare (rājya, śrī, prajā-hita) depends first on safeguarding life and lineage.
In Karna Parva, Sanjaya reports counsel aimed at stopping the war’s escalation: he predicts Yudhishthira will agree to peace if approached, notes the Pandavas follow Krishna and Yudhishthira, warns Duryodhana that Karna will not defeat Arjuna, and stresses that refusing this advice will lead to massive destruction of the Kuru house.