Shloka 20
Virāṭa-sabhāyāṃ Saṃniveśaḥ — Assembly at Virāṭa’s Hall and Kṛṣṇa’s Diplomatic Counsel
सम्बन्धितां चापि समीक्ष्य तेषां मतिं कुरुध्वं सहिता: पृथक् च | इमे च सत्येडभिरता: सदैव त॑ पालयित्वा समयं यथावत्,अतः सभी सभासद् कौरवोंके बढ़े हुए लोभको, युधिष्ठिरकी धर्मज्ञताको तथा इन दोनोंके पारस्परिक सम्बन्धको देखते हुए अलग-अलग तथा एक रायसे भी कुछ निश्चय करें। ये पाण्डवगण सदा ही सत्यपरायण होनेके कारण पहले की हुई प्रतिज्ञाका यथावत् पालन करके हमारे सामने उपस्थित हैं
sambandhitāṃ cāpi samīkṣya teṣāṃ matiṃ kurudhvam sahitāḥ pṛthak ca | ime ca satyeḍabhiratāḥ sadaiva taṃ pālayitvā samayaṃ yathāvat ||
E, tendo também considerado o vínculo que os une, deliberai sobre a intenção deles—em conjunto e também cada um por si. Estes Pāṇḍavas, sempre devotados à verdade, preservaram devidamente o pacto acordado e agora estão diante de nós conforme a ele. Portanto, ó membros da corte dos Kauravas, pesai a cobiça crescente de um lado e a integridade de Yudhiṣṭhira, guiada pelo dharma, do outro, e decidi o que é justo.
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Public decisions, especially in matters of conflict, must be grounded in dharma: examine relationships and intentions, deliberate both collectively and individually, and honor established agreements. Truthfulness and fidelity to a covenant are presented as ethical benchmarks against which greed-driven policy should be judged.
Kṛṣṇa addresses the Kaurava court/assembly, urging the members to assess the stance of the two sides. He emphasizes that the Pāṇḍavas have faithfully kept the prior compact and have come accordingly, and he calls on the assembly to decide responsibly rather than be led by escalating greed.