Shloka 23
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 3 — Sātyaki on Inner Disposition, Legitimacy, and Coercive Readiness
निहता वा रणे सर्वे स्वप्स्यन्ति वसुधातले
nihatā vā raṇe sarve svapsyanti vasudhātale | ataḥ pāṇḍuputra yudhiṣṭhira te manasi yo 'bhilāṣaḥ sa ālasyaṃ tyaktvā yuṣmābhiḥ siddhyatām | dhṛtarāṣṭro rājyaṃ pratyādadātu, pāṇḍuputro yudhiṣṭhiras tad gṛhṇātu | adhunā pāṇḍunandana-yudhiṣṭhirāya rājyaṃ prāptum ucitam, anyathā sarve kauravā yuddhe hatā raṇabhūmau sadā-kṛte śayiṣyante ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Jika mereka semua terbunuh dalam pertempuran, mereka akan terbaring tidur di atas bumi. Maka, apa jua hasrat yang kamu simpan dalam hati demi Yudhiṣṭhira, putera Pāṇḍu—buanglah kelambanan dan sempurnakanlah ia. Biarlah Dhṛtarāṣṭra memulangkan kerajaan, dan biarlah Yudhiṣṭhira, putera Pāṇḍu, menerimanya. Kini sewajarnya Yudhiṣṭhira, kemuliaan garis Pāṇḍu, memperoleh takhta; jika tidak, seluruh Kaurava akan terbunuh dalam perang dan terbaring selama-lamanya di medan laga.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse stresses timely, dharma-aligned political action: restore rightful sovereignty to avoid catastrophic war. It frames delay and stubbornness as leading to needless death, urging reconciliation through justice rather than escalation.
In Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations, the narration warns that if the kingdom is not returned to Yudhiṣṭhira, the dispute will culminate in battle where the Kauravas will be slain and lie on the battlefield; hence Dhṛtarāṣṭra should restore the realm and Yudhiṣṭhira should accept it.