Shloka 2
अध्याय 24 — संजयस्य शमोपदेशः
Sanjaya’s Counsel Toward Conciliation
संजय उवाच अजातशत्रुं च वृकोदरं च धनंजयं माद्रवतीसुतौ च । आमन्त्रये वासुदेवं च शौरिं युयुधानं चेकितानं विराटम्,संजय बोला--मैं अजातशत्रु युधिष्ठिर, भीमसेन, अर्जुन, नकुल, सहदेव, भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण, सात्यकि, चेकितान, विराट, पांचालदेशके बूढ़े नरेश द्रुपद तथा उनके पुत्र पृषतवंशी धृष्टद्युम्नको भी आमन्त्रित करता हूँ। मैं कौरवोंकी भलाई चाहता हुआ जो कुछ कह रहा हूँ, मेरी उस वाणीको आप सब लोग सुनें
sañjaya uvāca | ajātaśatruṃ ca vṛkodaraṃ ca dhanañjayaṃ mādravatīsutau ca | āmantṛye vāsudevaṃ ca śauriṃ yuyudhānaṃ cekitānaṃ virāṭam |
सञ्जय उवाच—अजातशत्रुं च वृकोदरं च धनञ्जयं माद्रवतीसुतौ च । आमन्त्रये वासुदेवं च शौरिं युयुधानं चेकितानं विराटम् ॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores responsible counsel and collective deliberation: major leaders are formally convened so that speech aimed at the ‘welfare of the Kauravas’ may be heard. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s insistence that before resorting to war, one must exhaust dharmic avenues—consultation, truthful speech, and attempts at reconciliation.
Sañjaya reports a formal summoning of prominent Pāṇḍava-aligned figures—Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīma, Arjuna, Nakula, Sahadeva, Kṛṣṇa, Sātyaki, Cekitāna, and Virāṭa—indicating a gathering of key stakeholders in the tense pre-war negotiations of the Udyoga Parva.