अध्याय ४ — दुर्योधनस्य असंधि-निश्चयः
Duryodhana’s Refusal of Reconciliation
प्रणिपत्य हि राजानं राज्यं यदि लभेमहि । श्रेय: स्यान्न तु मौढ्येन राजन् गन्तु: पराभवम्
praṇipatya hi rājānaṃ rājyaṃ yadi labhemahi | śreyaḥ syān na tu mauḍhyena rājan gantuḥ parābhavam ||
Санджая сказал: «О царь, если, склонившись перед царём (Юдхиштхирой), мы могли бы вернуть своё царство, это было бы более мудрым и благим путём. Но идти вперёд из одной лишь глупости — к заведомому поражению, — в этом нет никакого добра.»
संजय उवाच
The verse teaches that humility and realistic reconciliation can be ethically and practically superior to stubborn pride. Seeking welfare (śreyas) may require submission and restraint, whereas acting from delusion (mauḍhya) leads to needless defeat and harm.
Sañjaya addresses Dhṛtarāṣṭra, urging that if the Kauravas could recover their kingdom by bowing before Yudhiṣṭhira, that would be the best outcome; persisting in a course that ends in defeat, driven by folly, is portrayed as self-destructive.