Shloka 52
Dambhodbhava, Nara-Nārāyaṇa, and the Counsel to Abandon Hubris
Udyoga-parva 94
शक््यं किमन्यद् वक्तुं ते दानादन्यज्जनेश्वर । ब्रुवन्तु ते महीपाला: सभायां ये समासते,जनेश्वर! आपसे पाण्डवोंका राज्य लौटा देनेके सिवा दूसरी कौन-सी बात यहाँ कही जा सकती है। इस सभामें जो भूमिपाल बैठे हैं, वे धर्म और अर्थका विचार करके स्वयं बतावें, मैं ठीक कहता हूँ या नहीं। पुरुषरत्न आप इन क्षत्रियोंकों मौतके फंदेसे छुड़ाइये
śakyaṃ kim anyad vaktuṃ te dānād anyaj janeśvara | bruvantu te mahīpālāḥ sabhāyāṃ ye samāsate ||
毗湿摩波耶那说道：“噢，人主！在此还能对你说什么，除了劝你归还之外？愿坐在此会中的诸王，权衡法（dharma）与利（artha），各自明言我所说是否得当。噢，人中至杰！只要归还般度五子的国土，便可使这些刹帝利脱离死亡的绞索。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames restitution as the ethically decisive act: returning what is rightfully owed (the Pāṇḍavas’ kingdom) is presented as the only meaningful counsel, because it aligns with dharma and also prevents catastrophic loss of life—thus harmonizing moral duty with practical statecraft (artha).
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, the speaker urges the addressed ruler to avert impending destruction. He calls on the assembled kings to judge the matter by dharma and artha, and insists that restoring the Pāṇḍavas’ kingdom is the sure way to free the kṣatriyas from the ‘noose of death’—i.e., the war that will otherwise follow.