Shloka 16
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 71 — Kṣatra-dharma Counsel, Public Legitimacy, and Mobilization
पज्च नस्तात दीयमन्तां ग्रामा वा नगराणि वा | वसेम सहिता येषु मा च नो भरता नशन्
pañca nas tāta dīyamantāṃ grāmā vā nagarāṇi vā | vase ma sahitā yeṣu mā ca no bharatā naśan, govinda |
Wika ni Yudhiṣṭhira: “Ama, ipagkaloob mo sa amin ang lima lamang—mga nayon man o mga bayan—upang kaming limang magkakapatid ay mamuhay na magkakasama sa kapayapaan. Huwag sanang mapuksa ang mga inapo ni Bharata dahil sa amin, O Govinda.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights restraint and dharmic conflict-avoidance: Yudhiṣṭhira asks for the bare minimum—five settlements—so that the brothers can live without triggering a catastrophic civil war. Ethical leadership is shown as prioritizing the welfare of the whole lineage over maximal personal gain.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations, Yudhiṣṭhira recalls/voices a conciliatory proposal to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: give the Pāṇḍavas only five villages or towns. Addressing Kṛṣṇa as Govinda, he frames the request as a means to prevent the destruction of the Bharata (Kuru) family through internecine war.