Shloka 19
कृष्णेन विदुरं प्रति आगमन-हेतु-निवेदनम् / Krishna explains the purpose of his coming to Vidura
बल॑ बलवदप्यस्य यदि वक्ष्यसि माधव । त्वय्यस्य महती शड्का न करिष्यति ते वच:
balam balavad apy asya yadi vakṣyasi mādhava | tvayy asya mahatī śaṅkā na kariṣyati te vacaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai Mādhava, kekuatan tentera Duryodhana amatlah dahsyat. Lebih daripada itu, dia menyimpan syak wasangka yang mendalam terhadapmu. Maka, sekalipun engkau menasihatinya dengan kata-kata yang bijaksana dan bermanfaat, dia tidak akan menerima bicaramu.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power and suspicion can block ethical counsel: when a leader is fortified by strength and distrust, even well-intended advice may fail, highlighting the limits of persuasion without receptivity and trust.
Vaiśampāyana warns Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa) that Duryodhana, confident in his army and suspicious of Kṛṣṇa, is unlikely to heed any conciliatory or wise speech—foreshadowing the failure of peace efforts before the war.