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

ໄວສັມປາຍະນະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ໂອ ຜູ້ມີແຂນແຂງກ້າ, ແມ່ນແຕ່ຂ້າເອງ—ເຫັນກ່ອນວ່າສົງຄາມໃຫຍ່ອາດຈະເກີດ—ກໍໄດ້ພະຍາຍາມຢ່າງໃຫຍ່ເພື່ອສ້າງສັນຕິພາບ ເພື່ອສິ່ງທີ່ເຈົ້າຮັກ. ໂດຍການນັ້ນ ພວກເຮົາກໍໄດ້ປົດໜີ້ຕໍ່ທຳມະແລ້ວ, ແລະບັດນີ້ ແມ່ນແຕ່ຜູ້ທີ່ມັກຊີ້ຄວາມຜິດຂອງຄົນອື່ນ ກໍບໍ່ອາດຈະໂທດພວກເຮົາໄດ້ຢ່າງນ່າເຊື່ອຖື».

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.