Shloka 52
Dambhodbhava, Nara-Nārāyaṇa, and the Counsel to Abandon Hubris
Udyoga-parva 94
शक््यं किमन्यद् वक्तुं ते दानादन्यज्जनेश्वर । ब्रुवन्तु ते महीपाला: सभायां ये समासते,जनेश्वर! आपसे पाण्डवोंका राज्य लौटा देनेके सिवा दूसरी कौन-सी बात यहाँ कही जा सकती है। इस सभामें जो भूमिपाल बैठे हैं, वे धर्म और अर्थका विचार करके स्वयं बतावें, मैं ठीक कहता हूँ या नहीं। पुरुषरत्न आप इन क्षत्रियोंकों मौतके फंदेसे छुड़ाइये
śakyaṃ kim anyad vaktuṃ te dānād anyaj janeśvara | bruvantu te mahīpālāḥ sabhāyāṃ ye samāsate ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana berkata: “Wahai tuan manusia sekalian, apakah lagi yang dapat dikatakan kepada tuanku di sini selain nasihat agar memulangkan? Biarlah raja-raja yang duduk dalam balairung ini menyatakan sendiri, setelah menimbang dharma dan artha, sama ada kata-kataku benar. Wahai insan terbaik, lepaskan para kṣatriya ini daripada jerut maut dengan mengembalikan kerajaan para Pāṇḍava.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames restitution as the ethically decisive act: returning what is rightfully owed (the Pāṇḍavas’ kingdom) is presented as the only meaningful counsel, because it aligns with dharma and also prevents catastrophic loss of life—thus harmonizing moral duty with practical statecraft (artha).
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, the speaker urges the addressed ruler to avert impending destruction. He calls on the assembled kings to judge the matter by dharma and artha, and insists that restoring the Pāṇḍavas’ kingdom is the sure way to free the kṣatriyas from the ‘noose of death’—i.e., the war that will otherwise follow.