Shloka 29
Dambhodbhava, Nara-Nārāyaṇa, and the Counsel to Abandon Hubris
Udyoga-parva 94
पाण्डवैर्निहतै: संख्ये पुत्रैर्वापि महाबलै: यद् विन्देथा: सुखं राजंस्तद् ब्रूहि भरतर्षभ
pāṇḍavair nihataiḥ saṅkhye putrair vāpi mahābalaiḥ | yad vindethāḥ sukhaṃ rājaṃs tad brūhi bharatarṣabha ||
وَیشَمپایَن نے کہا—اے بھرتوں میں سرفراز! اگر جنگ میں پانڈو مارے جائیں یا تمہارے ہی نہایت زورآور بیٹے ہلاک ہو جائیں، تو اے راجن، اس حالت میں تمہیں کون سی خوشی ملے گی؟ بتاؤ۔
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse challenges the illusion of ‘victory’ in a fratricidal war: whether the Pāṇḍavas die or one’s own sons perish, the outcome is bereft of true sukha. It presses a dharmic evaluation of ends and means—no political gain compensates for the moral and familial ruin.
Vaiśaṃpāyana, narrating the events of the Udyoga Parva, frames a pointed question to the king: in the looming conflict, either side’s destruction leads to sorrow. The statement functions as a rhetorical rebuke, exposing the self-defeating nature of pursuing war as a path to happiness.