Shloka 2
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 137 — Bhīṣma–Droṇa Counsel and the Ethics of Restraint
श्रुतं ते पुरुषव्याप्र कुन्त्या: कृष्णस्य संनिधौ । वाक्यमर्थवदत्युग्रमुक्तं धर्म्यमनुत्तमम्,'पुरुषसिंह! कुन्तीने श्रीकृष्णके समीप जो अर्थयुक्त, धर्मसंगत, परम उत्तम एवं अत्यन्त भयंकर बात कही है, उसे तुमने भी सुना ही होगा
śrutaṃ te puruṣavyāghra kuntyāḥ kṛṣṇasya saṃnidhau | vākyam arthavad atyugram uktaṃ dharmyam anuttamam ||
Vaiśampāyana nói: “Hỡi bậc hổ trong loài người, hẳn ngươi cũng đã nghe những lời đầy ý nghĩa mà Kuntī nói trước mặt Kṛṣṇa—lời lẽ tối thượng về dharma, tuyệt hảo vô song, nhưng sức nặng thì vô cùng nghiêm khắc.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that truly dharmic counsel can be both supremely ethical and uncompromisingly severe: moral truth may need to be spoken with force when the stakes are grave.
Vaiśampāyana reminds his listener (addressed as ‘puruṣavyāghra’) that Kuntī has already delivered an important, righteous, and stern statement in Kṛṣṇa’s presence—setting the tone for urgent deliberations in the lead-up to conflict.