Shloka 3
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 126 — Kṛṣṇa’s Indictment of Misrule and the Varuṇa Analogy (कृष्णवाक्यं–धर्मपाशदृष्टान्तः)
भक्तिवादेन पार्थानामकस्मान्म धुसूदन । भवान् गर्हयते नित्यं कि समीक्ष्य बलाबलम्
bhaktivādena pārthānām akasmān madhusūdana | bhavān garhayate nityaṁ kiṁ samīkṣya balābalam ||
“മധുസൂദനാ! പാണ്ഡവരുടെ ഭക്തി-സ്നേഹത്തെ മുന്നിൽ വെച്ച് നീ എന്തുകൊണ്ട് കാരണമില്ലാതെ എപ്പോഴും ഞങ്ങളെ നിന്ദിക്കുന്നു? ഞങ്ങളുടെ ബലവും അബലവും പരിശോധിച്ചിട്ടാണോ നീ ഇങ്ങനെ പറയുന്നത്?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical scrutiny of rhetoric in conflict: invoking devotion or loyalty can be used as a pretext for blame, and opponents may suspect that moral language masks strategic calculation about relative strength. It invites reflection on whether speech is guided by dharma or by power-politics.
In the tense pre-war setting of the Udyoga Parva, the speaker addresses Kṛṣṇa (Madhusūdana), questioning why he repeatedly criticizes ‘us’ while citing the Pandavas’ devotion, and whether this stance is based on an assessment of comparative strength and weakness.