Shloka 49
उद्योगपर्व — गान्धारी-उपदेशः
Udyoga Parva — Gandhārī’s Counsel to Duryodhana
त्यजेत् कुलार्थे पुरुष ग्रामस्यार्थे कुलं त्यजेत् ग्रामं जनपदस्यार्थ आत्मार्थे पृथिवीं त्यजेत्
tyajet kulārthe puruṣaṁ grāmasyārthe kulaṁ tyajet | grāmaṁ janapadasyārtha ātmārthe pṛthivīṁ tyajet ||
कुलाच्या हितासाठी एक पुरुष, गावाच्या हितासाठी एक कुल, जनपदाच्या हितासाठी एक गाव, आणि आत्मकल्याणासाठी संपूर्ण पृथ्वीही त्यागावी.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
It teaches a graded principle of ethical sacrifice: smaller interests may be relinquished for larger communal welfare (person → clan → village → realm), but above even political and material goods stands ātmārtha—one’s highest spiritual good—worthy of renouncing everything else.
In Udyoga Parva’s counsel-laden context, Vaiśampāyana reports a maxim used to frame policy and moral decision-making before the great conflict: rulers and elders weigh individual loss against collective welfare, while also affirming that inner righteousness and spiritual welfare ultimately outrank worldly dominion.