Shloka 34

सुभद्राहरणम्

Subhadrā-haraṇa: Arjuna’s Taking of Subhadrā and the Dvārakā Assembly’s Response

Devanagari script

अर्जुन उवाच न व्याजेन चरेद्‌ धर्ममिति मे भवतः श्रुतम्‌ । न सत्याद्‌ विचलिष्यामि सत्येनायुधभालभे,अर्जुन बोले--प्रभो! मैंने आपके ही मुखसे सुना है कि धर्माचरणमें कभी बहानेबाजी नहीं करनी चाहिये। अतः मैं सत्यकी शपथ खाकर और शस्त्र छूकर कहता हूँ कि सत्यसे विचलित नहीं होऊँगा

Transliteration

arjuna uvāca na vyājena cared dharmam iti me bhavataḥ śrutam | na satyād vicaliṣyāmi satyenāyudhabhālabe ||

Translation

Arjuna sprach: „Herr, aus deinem eigenen Mund habe ich gehört, dass man Dharma nicht mit Vorwänden oder Ausflüchten üben soll. Darum schwöre ich bei der Wahrheit und berühre meine Waffen: Ich werde nicht von der Wahrheit abweichen.“

Word by Word

• {'arjuna uvāca': 'Arjuna said', 'na': 'not', 'vyājena': 'by a pretext, by subterfuge, with an excuse', 'cared (caret)': 'should practice, should conduct oneself', 'dharmam': 'dharma

• moral law', 'iti': 'thus

• as (quoted)', 'me': 'by me

• to me', 'bhavataḥ': 'from you (honorific)

• of your', 'śrutam': 'heard', 'na vicaliṣyāmi': 'I will not waver

• I will not deviate', 'satyāt': 'from truth', 'satyena': 'by truth

• with truth (as vow/means)', 'āyudha': 'weapon(s)', 'bhālabe': 'on the handle/hilt/grip (of a weapon)

Speaker

अर्जुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• bhavat (honorific addressee, unnamed in the verse)
• āyudha (weapons)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma should not be pursued through excuses or deceptive justifications; steadfast commitment to satya (truth) is presented as the ethical anchor, affirmed through a solemn vow.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna addresses an honored interlocutor, recalls the teaching he received about non-evasive dharma, and then publicly binds himself to truth by taking an oath while touching his weapons—an emphatic pledge of unwavering integrity.