Shloka 15
भीष्मसेनापत्याभिषेकः
Bhīṣma’s Appointment as Commander-in-Chief
न चापि वयमत्यर्थ परित्यागेन कर्िचित् । कौरवै: शममिच्छामस्तत्र युद्धमनन्तरम्
na cāpi vayam atyartha-parityāgena karhicit | kauravaiḥ śamam icchāmas tatra yuddham anantaram ||
Kṛṣṇa berkata: “Kami juga tidak pernah menginginkan perdamaian dengan kaum Kaurava melalui pengorbanan yang melampau—hingga menyerah begitu banyak sehingga kami kehilangan apa yang sememangnya hak kami. Maka, apabila perdamaian seperti itu tertolak, yang menyusul bagi kami hanyalah perang.”
कृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Peace is desirable, but not at the cost of abandoning dharma through excessive concession. When a just settlement cannot be achieved without surrendering what is right, conflict becomes the unavoidable consequence.
In the Udyoga Parva’s lead-up to the Kurukṣetra war, Kṛṣṇa frames the limits of conciliation: the side he represents will not accept a peace that requires extreme forfeiture to the Kauravas; if such terms are demanded, war follows.