Shloka 22
Udyoga Parva, Adhyaya 31 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Instructions to Sañjaya
Peace Appeal and Five-Village Proposal
अकालिकं कुरवो नाभविष्यन् पापेन चेत् पापमजातशत्रु: । इच्छेज्जातु त्वयि पापं विसृज्य निन्दा चेयं तव लोके5भविष्यत्,राजन्! यदि अजातशत्रु युधिष्ठिर (आपको ही दोषी ठहराकर) आपपर ही सारे पापों (दोषों)-का भार डालकर (आपकी ही भाँति) पापके बदले पाप करनेकी इच्छा कर लें तो सारे कौरव असमयमें ही नष्ट हो जायँ और संसारमें केवल आपकी निन्दा फैल जाय
akālikaṃ kuravo nābhaviṣyan pāpena cet pāpam ajātaśatruḥ | icchej jātu tvayi pāpaṃ visṛjya nindā ceyaṃ tava loke 'bhaviṣyat, rājan |
संजय म्हणाला—हे राजन्! जर अजातशत्रु युधिष्ठिर कधी संयम सोडून, तुमच्यावरच दोष ठेवून, पापाच्या बदल्यात पाप करण्याची इच्छा करील, तर कौरव अकालीच नष्ट होतील; आणि लोकांत निंदा केवळ तुमचीच होईल.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that answering wrongdoing with wrongdoing (pāpam pāpena) accelerates ruin and shifts moral blame onto the instigator; true strength lies in restraint, because public censure (nindā) follows the one seen as responsible for provoking adharma.
Sañjaya addresses King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, cautioning that if Yudhiṣṭhira—normally restrained and called Ajātaśatru—were to cast off his scruples and retaliate by blaming the king and committing counter-wrong, the Kuru house would be destroyed prematurely and Dhṛtarāṣṭra would be condemned by the world.