Shloka 43
Adhyāya 128 — Proposal to Restrain Keśava; Sātyaki’s Warning and Vidura–Dhṛtarāṣṭra Counsel
प्रयच्छ पाण्डुपुत्राणां यथोचितमरिंदम । यदीच्छसि सहामात्यो भोक्तुमर्ध प्रदीयताम्
vaiśampāyana uvāca | prayaccha pāṇḍuputrāṇāṃ yathocitam ariṃdama | yadīcchasi sahāmātyo bhoktum ardhaṃ pradīyatām ||
ویشَمپایَن نے کہا—اے دشمنوں کو دبانے والے! پانڈو کے بیٹوں کو ان کا مناسب حق دے دو۔ اگر تم اپنے وزیروں کے ساتھ سلطنت سے لطف اندوز ہونا چاہتے ہو تو انہیں آدھی سلطنت دے دی جائے۔
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s legitimacy rests on giving others their rightful due (yathocitam). Refusing a just share out of greed invites adharma and makes destructive conflict morally and politically inevitable.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations, counsel is being offered to the Kuru side: if they want stable enjoyment of sovereignty, they should concede an appropriate share—explicitly half the kingdom—to the Pāṇḍavas, thereby restoring justice and avoiding war.