Shloka 20
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 3 — Sātyaki on Inner Disposition, Legitimacy, and Coercive Readiness
नाधर्मो विद्यते कश्चिच्छबत्रूनू हत्वा5डततायिन:
nādharmo vidyate kaścit śatrūn hatvā ’tatāyinaḥ
قال فَيْشَمْبَايَنَة: «لا إثمَ في قتل الأعداء الذين يُعَدّون من “آتَتَايِن”؛ أي المعتدين العنيفين الذين يبدؤون بالضرب ويهدّدون الحياة والنظام. ففي مثل هذه الحال يُعَدّ الفعلُ دفاعًا عن الدارما لا خرقًا لها.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts that killing an ātatāyin—an immediate, violent aggressor—is not adharma. Ethical responsibility is tied to protecting life and social order when faced with unlawful, initiating violence.
In the Udyoga Parva’s lead-up to war, the narration frames the moral logic of conflict: when opponents act as ātatāyins (aggressors), resistance—even lethal—is presented as dharmically permissible rather than sinful.