Shloka 4
भीष्मस्य सेनापत्यप्रतिज्ञा तथा रथसंख्यावर्णनम् | Bhishma Accepts Command and Enumerates Kaurava Strength
परवीर्य समाश्रित्य यः समाह्दयते परान् | क्षत्रबन्धु रशक्तत्वाल्लोके स पुरुषाधम:
paravīrya samāśritya yaḥ samāhvayate parān | kṣatrabandhuḥ aśaktatvāl loke sa puruṣādhamaḥ ||
যে অন্যের বল-পরাক্রমের আশ্রয়ে শত্রুকে যুদ্ধে আহ্বান করে, সে কেবল নামমাত্র ক্ষত্রিয়; নিজের অক্ষমতার জন্য লোকের চোখে সে পুরুষাধম।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse criticizes the warrior who issues a battle-challenge while depending on others’ strength. In the kṣatriya ethical ideal, courage and accountability must be personal; relying on borrowed might to provoke conflict is portrayed as dishonorable and morally blameworthy.
Sañjaya delivers a moral judgment within the Udyoga Parva’s war-preparation context, characterizing a certain type of challenger: one who summons opponents to fight not from his own capacity but by sheltering behind stronger allies, thereby earning the reproach ‘kṣatrabandhu’ and ‘puruṣādhama’.