Shloka 22
Udyoga Parva, Adhyaya 31 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Instructions to Sañjaya
Peace Appeal and Five-Village Proposal
अकालिकं कुरवो नाभविष्यन् पापेन चेत् पापमजातशत्रु: । इच्छेज्जातु त्वयि पापं विसृज्य निन्दा चेयं तव लोके5भविष्यत्,राजन्! यदि अजातशत्रु युधिष्ठिर (आपको ही दोषी ठहराकर) आपपर ही सारे पापों (दोषों)-का भार डालकर (आपकी ही भाँति) पापके बदले पाप करनेकी इच्छा कर लें तो सारे कौरव असमयमें ही नष्ट हो जायँ और संसारमें केवल आपकी निन्दा फैल जाय
akālikaṃ kuravo nābhaviṣyan pāpena cet pāpam ajātaśatruḥ | icchej jātu tvayi pāpaṃ visṛjya nindā ceyaṃ tava loke 'bhaviṣyat, rājan |
三阇耶说道：“大王啊，倘若阿阇多沙特鲁（坚敌者，指由提施提罗）有朝一日弃却克制，将罪责尽归于你，并选择以罪还罪，那么俱卢族必将未及其时便遭覆灭；而在世间，唯有你的名号会成为责难与谴责的对象。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that answering wrongdoing with wrongdoing (pāpam pāpena) accelerates ruin and shifts moral blame onto the instigator; true strength lies in restraint, because public censure (nindā) follows the one seen as responsible for provoking adharma.
Sañjaya addresses King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, cautioning that if Yudhiṣṭhira—normally restrained and called Ajātaśatru—were to cast off his scruples and retaliate by blaming the king and committing counter-wrong, the Kuru house would be destroyed prematurely and Dhṛtarāṣṭra would be condemned by the world.