Shloka 29
Dambhodbhava, Nara-Nārāyaṇa, and the Counsel to Abandon Hubris
Udyoga-parva 94
पाण्डवैर्निहतै: संख्ये पुत्रैर्वापि महाबलै: यद् विन्देथा: सुखं राजंस्तद् ब्रूहि भरतर्षभ
pāṇḍavair nihataiḥ saṅkhye putrair vāpi mahābalaiḥ | yad vindethāḥ sukhaṃ rājaṃs tad brūhi bharatarṣabha ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana disse: “Ó rei, touro entre os Bhāratas, dize-me isto: se os Pāṇḍavas fossem mortos em batalha — ou se os teus próprios filhos, tão poderosos, fossem destruídos — que felicidade poderias obter? Declara que ‘ganho’ ou ‘consolo’ imaginas num desfecho assim.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse challenges the illusion of ‘victory’ in a fratricidal war: whether the Pāṇḍavas die or one’s own sons perish, the outcome is bereft of true sukha. It presses a dharmic evaluation of ends and means—no political gain compensates for the moral and familial ruin.
Vaiśaṃpāyana, narrating the events of the Udyoga Parva, frames a pointed question to the king: in the looming conflict, either side’s destruction leads to sorrow. The statement functions as a rhetorical rebuke, exposing the self-defeating nature of pursuing war as a path to happiness.