Mahabharata — Udyoga Parva, Shloka 6
उद्योगपर्व — विदुरोक्तिः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra Addressed on Sincerity, Hospitality, and Settlement
एकवर्ण: सुक्लूृप्ताड्रैर्बाद्विजातैर्हयोत्तमै: । चतुर्युक्तान् रथांस्तस्मै रौक्मान् दास्यामि षघोडश
ekavarṇāḥ suklṛptāṅgair bāhlīkadeśasambhavaiḥ | dvijātair hayottamaiś caturyuktān rathāṁs tasmai raukmān dāsyāmi ṣoḍaśa ||
ಧೃತರಾಷ್ಟ್ರನು ಹೇಳಿದನು— ಒಂದೇ ವರ್ಣದ, ದೃಢಾಂಗಗಳ, ಬಾಹ್ಲೀಕ ದೇಶದಲ್ಲಿ ಜನಿಸಿದ ಉತ್ತಮ ಜಾತಿಯ ನಾಲ್ಕು ನಾಲ್ಕು ಅಶ್ವಗಳಿಂದ ಯುಕ್ತವಾದ ಹದಿನಾರು ಸ್ವರ್ಣಮಯ ರಥಗಳನ್ನು ನಾನು ಅವರಿಗೆ ಅರ್ಪಿಸುವೆನು.
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a common ethical tension in statecraft: attempting to resolve a looming conflict through honor, hospitality, and material gifts. It implicitly raises the question of whether external offerings can substitute for a just settlement grounded in dharma.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra speaks about presenting Kṛṣṇa with an impressive diplomatic gift—sixteen golden chariots with elite four-horse teams from Bāhlīka—within the broader context of negotiations before the Kurukṣetra war.