Shloka 4
Arjuna Confronted by Saindhava Forces during the Aśvamedha Circuit (श्वेतवाहनस्य सैन्धवसंघर्षः)
त्वया वृद्धो मम पिता भगदत्त: पितु: सखा । हतो वृद्धो मम पिता शिशुं मामद्य योधय
tvayā vṛddho mama pitā bhagadattaḥ pituḥ sakhā | hato vṛddho mama pitā śiśuṃ mām adya yodhaya ||
„Mein Vater Bhagadatta war ein Greis und ein Freund deines Vaters. Und doch hast du meinen alten Vater getötet. Weil er in Jahren weit vorangeschritten war, fiel er durch deine Hand. Heute stehe ich, sein Sohn, vor dir—kämpfe jetzt mit mir!“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical tension between personal grief/vengeance and the warrior code: the speaker frames the killing of an elderly father as morally charged and seeks to restore honor through direct combat, illustrating how dharma in war is often argued through lineage, friendship, and perceived fairness.
A grieving son confronts the warrior who killed his aged father Bhagadatta, reminding him that Bhagadatta was a friend of the opponent’s father, accusing him of slaying an old man, and issuing a challenge to fight the son now.