Shloka 13
Kṛṣṇasya Karṇam Prati Sāntvavacana
Kṛṣṇa’s Conciliatory Address to Karṇa
द्रौपदीसहितं पार्थ सायुधैर्भ्नातृभिर्वृतम् । वनस्थमपि राज्यस्थ: पाण्डवं को विजेष्यति
drau-padī-sahitaṃ pārtha sāyudhair bhrātṛbhir vṛtam | vanastham api rājyasthaḥ pāṇḍavaṃ ko vijeṣyati ||
हे पार्थ! द्रौपदीसह, शस्त्रधारी भावांनी वेढलेल्या त्या पांडव—युधिष्ठिराला—युद्धात कोण जिंकू शकेल? तो वनात राहिला तरी खरे तर राज्यसिंहासनावर बसण्यास योग्य आहे; अशा पुरुषाला पराभूत करणे सहज नाही.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma emphasizes that true royal strength and legitimacy rest on righteous leadership supported by capable allies; even in exile, the Pāṇḍava’s inherent fitness to rule and the protection of his armed brothers make him effectively unconquerable.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war counsel, Bhīṣma speaks to a Pāṇḍava addressee (“Pārtha”), praising the Pāṇḍavas’ combined power: with Draupadī present and the brothers armed and united, no king can realistically defeat the Pāṇḍava, even if he is living in the forest.