Shloka 45
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 71 — Kṣatra-dharma Counsel, Public Legitimacy, and Mobilization
ज्ञातयश्वैव भूयिष्ठा: सहाया गुरवश्च न: । तेषां वधो5तिपापीयान् किं नो युद्धेडस्ति शो भनम्
jñātayaś caiva bhūyiṣṭhāḥ sahāyā guravaś ca naḥ | teṣāṃ vadho'tipāpīyān kiṃ no yuddhe'sti śobhanam ||
یودھشٹھِر نے کہا—ہمارے سامنے کھڑے لوگوں میں اکثر ہمارے اپنے رشتہ دار ہیں—مددگار بھی اور قابلِ تعظیم بزرگ و اساتذہ بھی۔ ان کا قتل سخت ترین گناہ ہوگا۔ پھر اس جنگ میں ہمارے لیے بھلائی یا شرف آخر کیا رہ جائے گا؟
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds a dharmic conflict: even a politically justified war becomes ethically fraught when it requires killing one’s own relatives and revered elders/teachers. Yudhiṣṭhira questions whether any ‘good’ (śobhana) can arise from an act he deems intensely sinful (atipāpīyān).
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Yudhiṣṭhira voices hesitation about proceeding to battle. He observes that the opposing side includes their own kin and respected seniors, and he worries that their death would make the war morally ruinous for the Pāṇḍavas.