Shloka 13
अध्याय ८७: कृष्णस्य हस्तिनापुरप्रवेशः
Krishna’s Entry into Hastināpura and Court Reception
इदं तु सुमहत् कार्य शृणु मे यत् समर्थितम् । परायणं पाण्डवानां नियच्छामि जनार्दनम्
idaṃ tu sumahat kāryaṃ śṛṇu me yat samarthitam | parāyaṇaṃ pāṇḍavānāṃ niyacchāmi janārdanam ||
“Sekarang dengarlah usaha yang amat besar yang telah aku tetapkan. Apabila Janārdana—Kṛṣṇa, tempat sandaran utama para Pāṇḍava—datang ke sini, akan aku menahan baginda dan menangkapnya.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how political ambition and pride can drive one toward adharma—here, the intent to detain Krishna, the Pandavas’ protector, even in a diplomatic context. It implicitly contrasts righteous statecraft (respecting dharma and envoy-like sanctity) with coercive, unethical power tactics that hasten ruin.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations, Duryodhana announces a decisive plan: when Krishna (Janardana), who supports the Pandavas, arrives, he intends to detain him—treating Krishna’s presence as an opportunity to cripple the Pandavas’ strongest support and tilt the coming conflict.