Shloka 25
Tilottamā, Sunda–Upasunda, and the Pāṇḍava Samaya (Ādi Parva 204)
ट्रुपदो5पि महान् राजा कृतवैरश्न नः पुरा । तस्य संग्रहणं राजन् स्वपक्षस्य विवर्धनम्,राजन! ट्रुपद भी बहुत बड़े राजा हैं और पहले हमारे साथ उनका वैर भी हो चुका है। अतः मित्रके रूपमें उनका संग्रह हमारे अपने पक्षकी वृद्धिका कारण होगा
trupado 'pi mahān rājā kṛtavairaś ca naḥ purā | tasya saṅgrahaṇaṃ rājan svapakṣasya vivardhanam ||
Vidura disse: “Drupada também é um grande rei e, em tempos passados, chegou a nutrir inimizade contra nós. Portanto, ó rei, conquistá-lo como aliado fortalecerá o nosso próprio lado.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura emphasizes pragmatic statecraft: even a former enemy, if influential, should be tactfully won over when it strengthens one’s own side—provided it serves stability and strategic advantage.
Vidura counsels the king that Drupada, though previously hostile, is a powerful ruler; securing him as a friend/ally would increase their faction’s strength.