Udyoga Parva

Clay Sanskrit Library has published a 15 volume set of the Mahabharata which includes a translation of Udyoga Parva by Kathleen Garbutt.

The translation does not remove verses and chapters now widely believed to be spurious and smuggled into the Epic in 1st or 2nd millennium AD.

[1] Debroy, in 2011, notes that updated critical edition of Udyoga Parva, with spurious and corrupted text removed, has 10 parts, 197 adhyayas (chapters) and 6,001 shlokas (verses).

[17] The entire parva has been "transcreated" and translated in verse by the poet Dr. Purushottama Lal published by Writers Workshop.

[3] For example, in Chapter 33, Vidura suggests a wise person refrains from anger, exultation, pride, shame, stupefaction and vanity.

B. van Buitenen,[20] and others,[21] have referred to parts of Udyoga Parva, along with Book 12 of Mahabharata and non-Epic works such as Arthashastra, as a treatise on diplomats and envoys (called dūta, Sanskrit: दूत) involved in negotiations between parties.

Broadly, the Parva recognizes four types of envoys—Samdisțārtha are envoys who convey a message but do not have any discretion to negotiate; Parimițārtha are envoys who are granted a circumscribed purpose with some flexibility on wording; Nisrșțārtha are envoys with an overall goal and significant discretion to adapt the details of negotiations to the circumstances; finally, Dūtapranidhi, a full ambassador who has full confidence of the party he represents, understands the interests and Dharma (law, morals, duties) of both parties, and can decide the goal as well as style of negotiations (Krishna acts as such an ambassador in Bhagavat-yana sub-parva of Udyoga Parva).

[20] Udyoga Parva outlines the four methods of negotiations recommended for envoys who are dūtapranidhi: conciliation for the cause of peace and Dharma (sāman), praise your side while dividing the opposition by describing consequences of success and consequences of failure to reach a deal (bheda), bargain with gifts and concessions (dāna), bargain with threats of punishment (daņda).

Sanjayayana Parva, Chapter 25: War causes destruction to all, it is sinful, it creates hell, it gives the same result in victory and defeat alike.

Sanjayayana Parva, Chapter 27: Wrath is a bitter remedy for evils, it causes malady in the head, destroys fame, and is a source of sinful acts.

Shakra became chief, by means of work, observing truth, virtue, self control, forbearance, impartiality and amiability.

Prajagara Parva, Chapter 33: Wise men rejoice in virtuous deeds, and do those that tend to their prosperity, and look not with contempt on what is good.

Prajagara Parva, Chapter 33: Alone one should not taste a delicious dish, alone one should not think of profitable undertakings, alone one should not go on a journey, and alone one should not be awake amidst those that are asleep.

Virtue is the highest good, forgiveness the supreme peace, knowledge the deepest satisfaction, and benevolence the one cause of happiness.

A fish out of greediness does not think about the result of an action and swallows up the iron hook concealed in a dainty morsel.

Prajagara Parva, Chapter 34: The body of a man is like the chariot; his soul, the driver; and his senses, the horses.

Arrows of words are shot from the mouth, wounded by which one grieves night and day; For they touch the innermost recesses of the hearts of others, therefore a wise man should not fling them on others.

Duryodhana insults Krishna in the court of Hastinapura , a scene from the Udyoga Parva painted by Raja Ravi Varma