Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 71 — Kṣatra-dharma Counsel, Public Legitimacy, and Mobilization
पुत्रस्नेहश्च बलवान् धृतराष्ट्रस्य माधव । स पुत्रवशमापन्न: प्रणिपातं प्रहास्यति,माधव! धृतराष्ट्रमें अपने पुत्रके प्रति प्रबल आसक्ति है। वे पुत्रके वशमें होनेके कारण कभी झुकना नहीं स्वीकार करेंगे
putrasnehaś ca balavān dhṛtarāṣṭrasya mādhava | sa putravaśam āpannaḥ praṇipātaṃ prahāsyati ||
ਹੇ ਮਾਧਵ! ਧ੍ਰਿਤਰਾਸ਼ਟਰ ਦਾ ਪੁੱਤਰਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਮੋਹ ਬਹੁਤ ਪ੍ਰਬਲ ਹੈ। ਪੁੱਤਰਾਂ ਦੇ ਵੱਸ ਵਿੱਚ ਹੋਣ ਕਰਕੇ ਉਹ ਝੁਕ ਕੇ ਵਿਨੈ (ਸਮਝੌਤਾ) ਸਵੀਕਾਰ ਨਹੀਂ ਕਰਨਗੇ।
युधिछिर उवाच
Excessive attachment (putrasneha) can overpower judgment and dharma, making a leader incapable of humility, compromise, or corrective action—even when such submission would prevent greater harm.
In the lead-up to war, Yudhiṣṭhira explains to Kṛṣṇa (Mādhava) that Dhṛtarāṣṭra is dominated by affection for his sons and therefore will not genuinely bow or yield to a peace-making, dharma-aligned settlement.