Shloka 106
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 3 — Sātyaki on Inner Disposition, Legitimacy, and Coercive Readiness
निवृत्तवासान् कौन्तेयान् य आहुर्विदिता इति | कुन्तीके पुत्र वनवासकी अवधि पूरी करके जब लौटे हैं
nivṛttavāsān kaunteyān ye āhur viditā iti |
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Apabila putera-putera Kuntī pulang setelah menyempurnakan tempoh buangan mereka, pihak Kaurava mula berkata, ‘Kami telah mengenali mereka bahkan sebelum waktunya genap.’ Dalam keadaan demikian, bagaimana mungkin dikatakan bahawa Kaurava berpegang pada dharma dan tidak mahu merampas kerajaan Pāṇḍava?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical scrutiny of political claims: when a party seeks advantage by disputing fair terms (here, implying early recognition to invalidate the exile’s completion), their professed commitment to dharma becomes suspect. Dharma is tested by conduct, not by self-serving declarations.
After the Pāṇḍavas complete their exile and return, the Kauravas claim they had identified them before the term ended—an insinuation meant to deny the Pāṇḍavas their rightful restoration. The narrator frames this as evidence that the Kauravas are not acting righteously and intend to appropriate the Pāṇḍavas’ kingdom.