Shloka 25
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 137 — Bhīṣma–Droṇa Counsel and the Ethics of Restraint
कुरु वाक्यं पितुर्मातुरस्माकं च हितैषिणाम् । त्वय्यायत्तो महाबाहो शमो व्यायाम एव च,“महाबाहो! तुम पिता, माता तथा हम हितैषियों-का कहना मानो। अब शान्तिस्थापन और युद्ध दोनों तुम्हारे ही अधीन हैं
kuru vākyaṃ pitur mātur asmākaṃ ca hitaiṣiṇām | tvayy āyatto mahābāho śamo vyāyāma eva ca ||
ਵੈਸ਼ੰਪਾਯਨ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ— ਮਹਾਬਾਹੋ! ਪਿਤਾ, ਮਾਤਾ ਅਤੇ ਅਸੀਂ ਹਿਤੈਸ਼ੀ ਜੋ ਆਖਦੇ ਹਾਂ, ਉਹ ਮੰਨ। ਹੁਣ ਸੰਧਿ ਕਰਨੀ ਅਤੇ ਯੁੱਧ ਛੇੜਨਾ—ਦੋਵੇਂ ਤੇਰੇ ਹੀ ਅਧੀਨ ਹਨ।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse stresses accountable leadership: a ruler must heed the guidance of parents and true well-wishers, recognizing that the moral burden of choosing reconciliation or conflict ultimately lies with him.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, the narrator reports an appeal to a heroic prince: accept the advice of elders and allies, because the decision to secure peace or to proceed to war is now in his hands.