Shalya Parva Adhyaya 4 Shloka 43 - Mahabharata | Japanese | Vedapath

Vyasa

←Previous VerseNext Verse→

Shloka 43

अध्याय ४ — दुर्योधनस्य असंधि-निश्चयः

Duryodhana’s Refusal of Reconciliation

Devanagari script

हीयमानेन वै सन्धि: पर्येष्टव्य:ः समेन वा । विग्रहो वर्धमानेन मतिरेषा बृहस्पते:

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

hīyamānena vai sandhiḥ paryeṣṭavyaḥ samena vā |

vigraho vardhamānena matireṣā bṛhaspateḥ ||

Translation

サンジャヤは言った。「これはブリハスパティの教えだと言われる。己の力が衰えつつあるとき、あるいはただ拮抗しているだけのときは、和約を求めるべきである。だが勢いが増すときには、堂々たる決戦を選ぶべきだ。」

Word by Word

हीयमानेनwhen (one's power) is decreasing; by the decreasing (state)

वैindeed

सन्धिःpeace; treaty; alliance

पर्येष्टव्यःto be sought; should be pursued

समेनwhen (one is) equal; by an equal (state)

वाor

विग्रहःhostility; war; conflict

वर्धमानेनwhen (one's power) is increasing; by the increasing (state)

मतिःpolicy; counsel; view

एषाthis

बृहस्पतेःof Bृहस्पति

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Bṛhaspati

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches a principle of statecraft: seek peace or alliance when your power is weakening or only equal to the opponent’s, but undertake war when your strength is increasing—attributing this pragmatic counsel to Bṛhaspati.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a maxim of political wisdom within the war narrative, framing decisions about treaty (sandhi) versus conflict (vigraha) as contingent on relative strength, and citing Bṛhaspati as the authoritative source.