Shloka 12

Adhyāya 20 — Rājadharma Argument for Paternal Inheritance and Timely Conciliation

Devanagari script

ते सर्व पृष्ठतः कृत्वा तत्‌ सर्व पूर्वकिल्बिषम्‌ | सामैव कुरुभि: सार्धमिच्छन्ति कुरुपुड्रवा:,'पहलेके किये हुए इन सब अत्याचारोंको भुलाकर वे कुरुश्रेष्ठ पाण्डव अब भी इन कौरवोंके साथ मेल-जोल ही रखना चाहते हैं

Transliteration

te sarve pṛṣṭhataḥ kṛtvā tat sarva pūrvakilbiṣam | sāmā eva kurubhiḥ sārdham icchanti kurupuṅgavāḥ ||

Translation

Gạt hết ra sau lưng mọi điều sai trái thuở trước, những người Kuru dũng mãnh như bò mộng—các Pāṇḍava—vẫn muốn giữ hòa hiếu và tình giao hảo với nhà Kaurava.

Word by Word

तेthey/those

सर्वम्all (of it)

पृष्ठतःbehind; at the back; as behind (i.e., disregarding)

कृत्वाhaving done/made (having put)

तत्that

सर्वम्all

पूर्वformer; previous

किल्बिषम्sin; wrongdoing; offense

सामाconciliation; peaceful policy

एवindeed; only

कुरुभिःwith the Kurus

सार्धम्together with

इच्छन्तिthey desire; they wish

कुरुof the Kuru (line)

पुङ्गवाःbulls; foremost ones; best

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

Pāṇḍavāḥ

Kauravāḥ

Kuru

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even after suffering grave past wrongs (pūrva-kilbiṣa), the righteous may choose sāma—conciliation and restraint—prioritizing dharma and social harmony over immediate retaliation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana describes the Pāṇḍavas’ stance: they are willing to overlook earlier offenses and still seek amicable relations and settlement with the Kauravas, emphasizing a continued preference for peace.