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 |
یُدھِشٹھِر نے کہا—اے پتا! ہمیں بس پانچ—گاؤں ہوں یا شہر—عطا کر دیجیے، جن میں ہم پانچوں بھائی مل کر امن سے رہ سکیں۔ اے گووند! ہمارے سبب بھرت ونش کی ہلاکت نہ ہو۔
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.