Shloka 8
अध्याय ४ — दुर्योधनस्य असंधि-निश्चयः
Duryodhana’s Refusal of Reconciliation
न युद्धधर्माच्छेयान् वै पन्था राजेन्द्र विद्यते यं समाश्रित्य युद्धयन्ते क्षत्रिया: क्षत्रियर्षभ
na yuddhadharmāc chreyān vai panthā rājendra vidyate | yaṃ samāśritya yudhyante kṣatriyāḥ kṣatriyarṣabha ||
সঞ্জয় বললেন—হে রাজেন্দ্র, হে ক্ষত্রিয়শ্রেষ্ঠ! যুদ্ধধর্মের চেয়ে কল্যাণকর আর কোনো পথ নেই। সেই ধর্মকেই আশ্রয় করে, হে ক্ষত্রিয়বৃষভ, ক্ষত্রিয়েরা যুদ্ধে প্রবৃত্ত হয়।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts that for a kṣatriya, adherence to yuddha-dharma—fighting in accordance with the warrior’s duty and code—is regarded as the most welfare-producing course, framing battle not as mere violence but as a prescribed responsibility within social and moral order.
Sañjaya, narrating events to the king, emphasizes the legitimacy and necessity of the warriors’ engagement in battle by invoking kṣatriya-dharma, presenting the combatants as acting under an accepted ethical framework rather than personal impulse.