Shloka 13
Kṛṣṇasya Karṇam Prati Sāntvavacana
Kṛṣṇa’s Conciliatory Address to Karṇa
द्रौपदीसहितं पार्थ सायुधैर्भ्नातृभिर्वृतम् । वनस्थमपि राज्यस्थ: पाण्डवं को विजेष्यति
drau-padī-sahitaṃ pārtha sāyudhair bhrātṛbhir vṛtam | vanastham api rājyasthaḥ pāṇḍavaṃ ko vijeṣyati ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “O Pārtha, sino ang makapagtatagumpay sa digmaan laban sa Pāṇḍava na iyon—si Yudhiṣṭhira—kung kasama niya si Draupadī at napalilibutan siya ng mga kapatid na may sandata? Kahit naninirahan sa gubat, sa katotohanan ay karapat-dapat siyang maupo sa trono; ang gayong tao’y hindi madaling daigin.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma emphasizes that true royal strength and legitimacy rest on righteous leadership supported by capable allies; even in exile, the Pāṇḍava’s inherent fitness to rule and the protection of his armed brothers make him effectively unconquerable.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war counsel, Bhīṣma speaks to a Pāṇḍava addressee (“Pārtha”), praising the Pāṇḍavas’ combined power: with Draupadī present and the brothers armed and united, no king can realistically defeat the Pāṇḍava, even if he is living in the forest.