अध्याय २९ — वासुदेव–संजय संवादः
Karma, Varṇa-Dharma, and the Ethics of Governance
वृन्दारक॑ कुरुमध्येष्वमूढं महाप्रज्ञं सर्वधर्मोपपन्नम् । न तस्य युद्ध रोचते वै कदाचिद् वैश्यापुत्रं कुशलं तात पृच्छे:
vṛndāraka kurumadhyeṣv amūḍhaṃ mahāprajñaṃ sarvadharmopapannam | na tasya yuddhaṃ rocate vai kadācid vaiśyāputraṃ kuśalaṃ tāta pṛcchasi ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai orang mulia, di antara kaum Kuru ada Yuyutsu—anak lelaki seorang Vaiśya—yang tidak keliru, berakal besar, dan lengkap dengan segala dharma. Perang antara Kaurava dan Pāṇḍava tidak pernah menyenangkan hatinya. Wahai yang kukasihi, sampaikanlah pertanyaanku tentang kesejahteraan dan khabar baiknya.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Even amid looming conflict, dharma expresses itself through honoring the righteous—especially those who do not delight in war. Yudhiṣṭhira’s welfare-inquiry highlights ethical leadership: recognizing virtue across factional lines and valuing peace-minded integrity.
In Udyoga Parva’s pre-war diplomacy, Yudhiṣṭhira instructs that greetings and welfare be conveyed to Yuyutsu, a Kaurava by birth who is described as wise and dharmic and who does not approve of the impending Kaurava–Pāṇḍava war.