Shloka 16
Virāṭa-sabhāyāṃ Saṃniveśaḥ — Assembly at Virāṭa’s Hall and Kṛṣṇa’s Diplomatic Counsel
मिथ्योपचारेण यथा हाुनेन कृच्छं महत् प्राप्तमसहा[रूपम् | न चापि पार्थो विजितो रणे तैः स्वतेजसा धृतराष्ट्रस्य पुत्र:
mithyopacāreṇa yathā hānena kṛcchraṁ mahat prāptam asahā-rūpam | na cāpi pārtho vijito raṇe taiḥ svatejasā dhṛtarāṣṭrasya putraiḥ ||
偽りの振る舞いと欺きの策によって、パーンダヴァたちは大いなる、耐え難い災厄を負わされた――このことは諸君に隠されてはいない。しかも、パールタ（クンティーの子）は、ドリタラーシュトラの子らに自らの武勇で戦場にて打ち負かされたことなど一度もない。彼の王国は詐計によって奪われたのである。
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Kṛṣṇa frames the conflict as a moral issue: the Pāṇḍavas’ suffering and loss of kingdom arose from deceitful conduct, not from legitimate victory in righteous battle. This underscores that adharma (fraud, छल-कपट) cannot be treated as rightful conquest.
In the opening of Udyoga Parva, Kṛṣṇa reminds the assembled parties that the Kauravas did not win by valor; rather, through false dealings they caused the Pāṇḍavas immense hardship and seized their sovereignty, setting the ethical backdrop for the coming negotiations and war.