Shloka 54
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 71 — Kṣatra-dharma Counsel, Public Legitimacy, and Mobilization
पराजयश्न मरणान्मन्ये नैव विशिष्यते । यस्य स्याद् विजय: कृष्ण तस्याप्यपचयो ध्रुवम्,श्रीकृष्ण! मैं तो ऐसा मानता हूँ कि पराजय मृत्युसे अच्छी वस्तु नहीं है। जिसकी विजय होती है, उसे भी निश्चय ही धन-जनकी भारी हानि उठानी पड़ती है
parājayaś ca maraṇān manye naiva viśiṣyate | yasya syād vijayaḥ kṛṣṇa tasyāpy apacayo dhruvam ||
“Wahai Śrī Kṛṣṇa, pada hematku kekalahan tidaklah lebih baik daripada kematian. Bahkan bagi yang menang sekalipun, wahai Kṛṣṇa, kemerosotan tetap pasti—kehilangan dan penyusutan yang tidak terelakkan.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and practical cost of conflict: defeat feels like death, yet victory too brings inevitable loss (apacaya)—of people, wealth, and inner peace—so one should weigh war not only by outcomes but by its human and ethical consequences.
In Udyoga Parva, as war becomes imminent, Yudhiṣṭhira speaks to Kṛṣṇa with anxiety and moral reflection, arguing that neither defeat nor victory is truly desirable because even the victor must suffer heavy diminishment.