Shloka 5
उद्योगपर्व (अध्याय १२९) — केशवस्य वैभवप्रदर्शनम् / Krishna’s Theophanic Display in the Kuru Assembly
वयमेव हृषीकेशं निगृह्लीम बलादिव । प्रसहा पुरुषव्याप्रमिन्द्रो वैरोचनिं यथा
vayam eva hṛṣīkeśaṃ nigṛhṇīma balād iva | prasahā puruṣavyāpram indro vairocanim yathā ||
“Tayo na mismo ang dumakip kay Hṛṣīkeśa sa pamamagitan ng lakas. Bago pa tayo maibilanggo ng mabilis kumilos na si Kṛṣṇa, kasama si Haring Dhṛtarāṣṭra at si Bhīṣma, dapat nating pabagsakin ang leon sa mga tao at bihagin siya—gaya ng paggapós ni Indra kay Bali, anak ni Virocana.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical inversion: instead of honoring a messenger and seeking peace, the speakers propose forcibly capturing Kṛṣṇa out of fear and political calculation. It underscores how adharma can arise from anxiety and expediency, and how mythic precedents (Indra binding Bali) may be invoked to justify coercive acts.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations, a faction proposes preemptively seizing Kṛṣṇa (Hṛṣīkeśa) by force, fearing he may act swiftly with Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Bhīṣma to have them detained. They compare their intended act to Indra’s binding of Bali, using that famous episode as an analogy for overpowering a formidable opponent.