Shloka 556
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 71 — Kṣatra-dharma Counsel, Public Legitimacy, and Mobilization
निर्वेदो जीविते कृष्ण सर्वतश्नोपजायते । युद्ध समाप्त होनेतक कितने ही विपक्षी सैनिक विजयी योद्धाके अनेक प्रियजनोंको मार डालते हैं। जो विजय पाता है, वह भी (कुटुम्ब और धनसम्बन्धी) बलसे शून्य हो जाता है और कृष्ण! जब वह युद्धमें मारे गये अपने पुत्रों और भाइयोंको नहीं देखता है, तो वह सब ओरसे विरक्त हो जाता है; उसे अपने जीवनसे भी वैराग्य हो जाता है
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | nirvedo jīvite kṛṣṇa sarvataś copajāyate | yuddha-samāpta-hone-tak kitne hī vipakṣī sainik vijayī yoddhā-ke aneka priya-janon-ko mār ḍālte haiṃ | jo vijaya pātā hai, vah bhī (kuṭumba aura dhana-sambandhī) bala-se śūnya ho jātā hai aur kṛṣṇa! jab vah yuddha-meṃ māre gaye apne putroṃ aura bhrātṛoṃ ko nahīṃ dekhtā hai, to vah sab ora-se virakta ho jātā hai; use apne jīvan-se bhī vairāgya ho jātā hai |
Sinabi ni Yudhiṣṭhira: “O Kṛṣṇa, ang pagkasuklam sa buhay ay sumisibol mula sa lahat ng panig. Hangga’t hindi natatapos ang digmaan, di-mabilang na kawal ng kalaban ang pumapatay sa maraming minamahal—maging ng bayani na nagwawagi. At ang nagwagi man ay naiiwang salat sa lakas—sa lakas ng angkan at sa yaman. O Kṛṣṇa, kapag hindi na niya nakikita ang kanyang mga anak na lalaki at mga kapatid na napatay sa labanan, napapahiwalay siya sa lahat mula sa bawat dako; maging ang sarili niyang buhay ay kanyang pinagsasawaan.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even victory in war can be ethically and emotionally ruinous: the winner may lose family, support, and inner stability, leading to disenchantment (nirveda) and dispassion (vairāgya). The verse highlights the moral cost of violence and the hollowness of triumph purchased through widespread death.
In Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Yudhiṣṭhira speaks to Kṛṣṇa, reflecting on how prolonged conflict destroys both sides. He stresses that as the war drags on, dear ones are killed, and even the victor ends up bereft—so grief and detachment overwhelm the survivor.