Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Duryodhana Dialogue on Peace and the Refusal of Compromise
दुर्योधन उवाच नाहं भवति न द्रोणे नाश्वृत्थाम्नि न संजये । न भीष्मे न च काम्बोजे न कृपे न च बाह्लिके,दुर्योधन बोला-पिताजी! मैंने आप, द्रोणाचार्य, अश्वत्थामा, संजय, भीष्म, काम्बोजनरेश, कृपाचार्य, बाह्नीक, सत्यव्रत, पुरुमित्र, भूरिश्रवा अथवा आपके अन्यान्य योद्धाओंपर सारा बोझ रखकर पाण्डवोंको युद्धके लिये आमन्त्रित नहीं किया है
duryodhana uvāca | nāhaṃ bhavati na droṇe nāśvatthāmni na saṃjaye | na bhīṣme na ca kāmboje na kṛpe na ca bāhlike |
Duryodhana berkata: “Ayahanda, aku tidak mencabar para Pāṇḍava berperang dengan meletakkan seluruh beban ke atas ayahanda—bukan juga ke atas Droṇa, bukan ke atas Aśvatthāman, bukan ke atas Sañjaya; bukan ke atas Bhīṣma, bukan ke atas raja Kāmboja, bukan ke atas Kṛpa, dan bukan ke atas Bāhlīka.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
The verse foregrounds leadership accountability: Duryodhana claims he has not shifted the moral and strategic burden of initiating war onto revered elders and allies. Ethically, it highlights the tension between asserting personal agency and the reality that one’s choices still implicate teachers, elders, and the wider polity.
In Udyoga Parva, as war becomes imminent, Duryodhana addresses his father Dhṛtarāṣṭra and names key Kaurava champions. He insists that he did not invite the Pāṇḍavas to battle by relying on these great warriors to bear the entire responsibility, presenting himself as the principal decision-maker behind the confrontation.