Shloka 23
अध्याय ९ — कर्णस्य प्रहारः, योधयुग्मनियोजनम्, शैनेय-कैकेययोर्युद्धविन्यासः
युधिष्ठटिरस्य वचन मा युध्यस्वेति सर्वदा
yudhiṣṭhirasya vacanaṃ mā yudhyasveti sarvadā
持国王说道：“（我记得）坚战的劝诫——‘不要战斗’——一遍又一遍地重复着。”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral weight of counsel that urges restraint—“do not fight”—and implicitly contrasts it with the reality that, once adharma has matured into open conflict, even wise advice may be remembered too late. It points to the ethical burden of leadership: preventing war early is easier than stopping it once set in motion.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, hearing the war reports, recalls Yudhiṣṭhira’s repeated words advising against fighting. The remembrance functions as a reflective moment, underscoring Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s inner conflict and the tragic irony that such counsel did not avert the catastrophe.