Shloka 42

Kaurava Mobilization at Kurukṣetra (Duryodhana Orders War Preparations) / कुरुक्षेत्रे धार्तराष्ट्र-सैन्यसज्जा

Devanagari script

मयापि हि महाबाहो त्वत्प्रियार्थ महाहवे,“महाबाहु भरतनन्दन! मैंने भी महान्‌ युद्धकी सम्भावना देखकर तुम्हारा प्रिय करनेके लिये शान्ति-स्थापनके निमित्त महान्‌ प्रयत्न किया था। इससे हमलोग धर्मके ऋणसे भी उऋण हो गये हैं। दूसरोंके दोष बतानेवाले लोग भी अब हमारे ऊपर दोषारोपण नहीं कर सकते

Transliteration

mayāpi hi mahābāho tvatpriyārthaṃ mahāhave |

Translation

ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。「おお、強き腕を持つ者よ。大戦の起こりうることを先に見て、そなたの愛するもののために、我もまた和平を打ち立てんとして大いなる努力を尽くした。これにより、我らはダルマへの負い目をも果たし終えた。今や、他人の過ちをあげつらうことを常とする者でさえ、我らをもっともらしく責め立てることはできぬ。」

Word by Word

• {'mayā api': 'even by me

• I too', 'hi': 'indeed

• for', 'mahābāho': 'O mighty-armed one (vocative epithet)', 'tvat-priya-artham': 'for your dear interest

• to do what pleases/benefits you', 'mahāhave': 'in/with regard to the great battle

• amid the great conflict', 'mahān prayatnaḥ (implied by context)': 'great effort', 'śānti-sthāpana (contextual)': 'establishing peace

• peace-making', 'dharma-ṛṇa (contextual)': 'debt/obligation to righteousness and moral duty', 'doṣa-āropaṇa (contextual)': 'accusation

• imputing fault', 'doṣa-vaktṛ (contextual)': 'fault-finder

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Mahābāhu (epithet addressed to a Bharata prince)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Before resorting to war, one must sincerely attempt peace and thereby fulfill one’s obligation to dharma; having done so, one stands ethically protected against later accusations of needless violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana explains that, anticipating a major conflict, he (in the narrative voice) undertook serious efforts to secure peace for the addressee’s benefit; this establishes that their side has acted responsibly and cannot fairly be blamed by critics.