अध्याय २९ — वासुदेव–संजय संवादः
Karma, Varṇa-Dharma, and the Ethics of Governance
न हीदृशा: सन्त्यपरे पृथिव्यां ये योधका धार्तराष्ट्रेण लब्धा: । धर्मस्तु नित्यो मम धर्म एव महाबल: शत्रुनिबर्हणाय
na hīdṛśāḥ santi ’pare pṛthivyāṃ ye yodhakā dhārtarāṣṭreṇa labdhāḥ | dharmas tu nityo mama dharma eva mahābalaḥ śatrunibarhaṇāya ||
या पृथ्वीवर धृतराष्ट्रपुत्राने जे योद्धे गोळा केले आहेत, त्यांच्यासारखे दुसरे नाहीत. तरीही धर्मच नित्य आहे; आणि माझ्यासाठी शत्रुनाशास धर्मच सर्वश्रेष्ठ बल आहे.
युधिछिर उवाच
Even when the opponent possesses superior military resources, dharma is presented as the enduring and ultimately decisive power; Yudhiṣṭhira grounds victory not in numbers but in righteous conduct and moral legitimacy.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Yudhiṣṭhira acknowledges the formidable host assembled by Duryodhana, yet declares that his own reliance is on dharma—treating righteousness as the strongest force for overcoming enemies.