Shloka 16
Virāṭa-sabhāyāṃ Saṃniveśaḥ — Assembly at Virāṭa’s Hall and Kṛṣṇa’s Diplomatic Counsel
मिथ्योपचारेण यथा हाुनेन कृच्छं महत् प्राप्तमसहा[रूपम् | न चापि पार्थो विजितो रणे तैः स्वतेजसा धृतराष्ट्रस्य पुत्र:
mithyopacāreṇa yathā hānena kṛcchraṁ mahat prāptam asahā-rūpam | na cāpi pārtho vijito raṇe taiḥ svatejasā dhṛtarāṣṭrasya putraiḥ ||
मिथ्योपचारेण छलकपटेन च पाण्डवाः कृच्छ्रं महदसह्यं व्यसनं प्राप्ताः—एतद् युष्माकं नापि गूढम्। न च पार्थः (कुन्तीपुत्रो युधिष्ठिरः) धृतराष्ट्रपुत्रैः स्वतेजसा स्वबलपराक्रमाभ्यां कदाचन रणे विजितः; कपटेनैव तस्य राज्यं हृतम्।
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Kṛṣṇa frames the conflict as a moral issue: the Pāṇḍavas’ suffering and loss of kingdom arose from deceitful conduct, not from legitimate victory in righteous battle. This underscores that adharma (fraud, छल-कपट) cannot be treated as rightful conquest.
In the opening of Udyoga Parva, Kṛṣṇa reminds the assembled parties that the Kauravas did not win by valor; rather, through false dealings they caused the Pāṇḍavas immense hardship and seized their sovereignty, setting the ethical backdrop for the coming negotiations and war.