Shloka 20
अध्याय २६ — युद्ध-निन्दा, काम-दोष, तथा धार्तराष्ट्र-नीति-विश्लेषण
War-aversion, Desire as a Policy Fault, and Analysis of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Governance
बल॑ कस्माद् वर्धयित्वा परस्य निजान् कस्मात् कर्शयित्वा सहायान् | निरुष्य कस्माद् वर्षपूगान् वनेषु युयुत्ससे पाण्डव हीनकालम्
balaṁ kasmād vardhayitvā parasya nijān kasmāt karśayitvā sahāyān | nirūṣya kasmād varṣa-pūgān vaneṣu yuyutsase pāṇḍava hīna-kālaṁ, pāṇḍu-nandana!
三阇耶说道：“你为何任由敌人的势力增长？为何削弱自己一方的助力？为何在林野中连年栖居？而今那有利的时机既已逝去，你为何仍欲兴兵作战，哦般度之子、般度族的勇士？”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical-strategic critique: delaying action can strengthen an adversary and weaken one’s own allies; therefore timing (kāla) and responsibility toward supporters are central considerations in dharma-informed statecraft.
Sañjaya challenges a Pāṇḍava, questioning why he tolerated the enemy’s rise, endured long forest-dwelling, and only now seeks war after the supposedly favorable opportunity has passed—highlighting the tension between patience/endurance and decisive action.