In the Mahabharata, after the Pandavas achieved victory in the Kurukshetra war, Yudhishthira, the eldest of the Pandavas, experienced profound grief and lamented; there are only losers in this war, no winners. There was a sense of guilt and remorse. Yudhishthira could see that the war had resulted in widespread suffering and loss. The Pandavas had won the battle, but at what cost? They had lost many loved ones, and the war had left a deep sense of sorrow and regret. 

Bertrand Russell, British philosopher, logician, and social reformer, said, “War does not determine who is right, only who is left”. This is the grim reality of conflict. The outcome of a war is not based on the moral correctness of the cause; it depends on the ability to withstand the conflict. 

वो फ़ाख़्ता जिसे लाना था अम्न का पैग़ाम

उड़ी नहीं थी कि उस ने उक़ाब देख लिया

– अंजुम ख़लीक़

*उक़ाब- बाज़

Wo faḳhta jise laana tha amn ka paigham

udi nahin thi ki us ne uqaab dekh liya

– Anjum Khaleeq

(The dove that had to carry the message of peace had not even taken off when, it saw a hawk)

ki jab javaan hon bachche to qatl ho jaayen

bahut dinon se ye hai khabt hukmaranon ka

– Sahir Ludhiyanvi

कि जब जवान हों बच्चे तो क़त्ल हो जाएँ

बहुत दिनों से ये है ख़ब्त हुक्मरानों का

– साहिर लुधियानवी

Aur kuch der yunhi jang siyaasat mazhab,
aur thak jao abhi neend kahan ayegi

– Nida Fazli

(Many more wars, politics, and religion, get more tired before you will be able to sleep)

और कुछ देर यूँही जंग सियासत मज़हब
और थक जाओ अभी नींद कहाँ आएगी

– निदा फ़ाज़ली

The renowned surrealist artist, Salvador Dali, said, “Wars have never hurt anybody except the people who die”.

Jang vahaan par barsi
kitne mahfooz ho tum shukr karo

-Nida Fazli

(The war was fought somewhere else; feel grateful that you are safe.)

जंग वहाँ पर बरसी
कितने महफ़ूज़ हो तुम शुक्र करो

निदा फ़ाज़ली

The immediate victims of war may be the ones who lose their lives and their families, but in the long run, the consequences are much bigger. War has a devastating impact on individuals and societies at large. Wars devastate economies, leading to unemployment and poverty. 

Thomas Hobbes, an English philosopher, scientist, and historian, said, “For it can never be that war shall preserve life, and peace destroy it.” War may seem to offer a temporary reprieve from certain issues, but it undermines the very foundation of society. There is no substitute for peace for a stable and prosperous society. The ultimate truth is that, after the war, conflicts have to be resolved at the negotiating table.

Photos and content by Prerna Jain.