Shloka 2
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 137 — Bhīṣma–Droṇa Counsel and the Ethics of Restraint
श्रुतं ते पुरुषव्याप्र कुन्त्या: कृष्णस्य संनिधौ । वाक्यमर्थवदत्युग्रमुक्तं धर्म्यमनुत्तमम्
śrutaṃ te puruṣavyāghra kuntyāḥ kṛṣṇasya saṃnidhau | vākyam arthavad atyugram uktaṃ dharmyam anuttamam ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai harimau di antara manusia, engkau tentu telah mendengar kata-kata Kuntī di hadapan Kṛṣṇa—kata-kata yang sarat makna, paling dharmika dan tiada bandingnya, namun amat keras dalam daya tekanannya.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that truly dharmic counsel can be both supremely ethical and uncompromisingly severe: moral truth may need to be spoken with force when the stakes are grave.
Vaiśampāyana reminds his listener (addressed as ‘puruṣavyāghra’) that Kuntī has already delivered an important, righteous, and stern statement in Kṛṣṇa’s presence—setting the tone for urgent deliberations in the lead-up to conflict.