Shloka 18
अध्याय ३३ — कर्म, दैव, हठ, स्वभाव और पुरुषार्थ पर द्रौपदी का उपदेश
Draupadī on Action, Fate, and Human Effort
अथवा वयमेवैतान् निहत्य भरतर्षभ । आददीमटहि गां सर्वा तथापि श्रेय एव न:,“अथवा भरतश्रेष्ठ! यदि हम ही इन शत्रुओंको मारकर सारी पृथ्वी ले लें तो वही हमारे लिये कल्याणकर है
athavā vayam evaitān nihatyā bharatarṣabha | ādadīmaṭahi gāṁ sarvā tathāpi śreya eva naḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana nói: “Hoặc nữa, hỡi bậc tráng kiệt trong dòng Bharata, chính chúng ta hãy đánh gục bọn thù địch này và chiếm lấy toàn cõi đất; dẫu vậy, chỉ điều ấy mới là phúc lợi chân thật cho chúng ta.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a consequentialist argument often voiced in epic politics: if conflict is unavoidable, then eliminating enemies and securing the realm might be claimed as ‘śreyaḥ’ (true welfare). It implicitly invites scrutiny of whether ‘welfare’ can be grounded in violence, or whether dharma requires restraint despite strategic advantage.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a speaker proposes an alternative course: rather than yielding or compromising, they could kill the opposing party and take complete control of the land, asserting that such an outcome would benefit their side.