Shloka 102

Devanagari script

शाश्वतो<यं स्थितो धर्म: क्षत्रियाणां धनंजय । योद्धव्यं रक्षितव्यं च यष्टव्यं चानसूयुभि:,धनंजय! यह क्षत्रियोंका निश्चित सनातन धर्म है। उन्हें किसीके प्रति दोषदृष्टि न रखकर सदा युद्ध, प्रजाओंकी रक्षा और यज्ञ करते रहने चाहिये

Transliteration

śāśvato ’yaṃ sthito dharmaḥ kṣatriyāṇāṃ dhanaṃjaya | yoddhavyaṃ rakṣitavyaṃ ca yaṣṭavyaṃ cān asūyubhiḥ ||

Translation

Vāyu sprach: „O Dhanañjaya, dies ist das fest begründete und ewige Dharma der Kṣatriyas: ohne Arglist und ohne Fehlersuche an irgendwem sollen sie kämpfen, wenn die Pflicht ruft, das Volk schützen und die Opferhandlungen (yajña) fortwährend vollziehen.“

Word by Word

शाश्वतःeternal, perpetual

अयम्this

स्थितःestablished, fixed

धर्मःduty, dharma

क्षत्रियाणाम्of the Kshatriyas

धनंजयO Dhananjaya (Arjuna)

योद्धव्यम्one must fight / fighting is to be done

रक्षितव्यम्one must protect / protection is to be done

चand

यष्टव्यम्one must sacrifice / perform yajña

चand

अनसूयुभिःby the non-censorious / without fault-finding

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyudeva

Dhanañjaya (Arjuna)

Kṣatriyas

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse defines kṣatriya-dharma as a threefold obligation—fight when righteousness requires it, protect the people, and sustain sacred order through sacrifice—while maintaining a mind free from envy or censorious blame (an-asūyā).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva addresses Arjuna (Dhanañjaya), instructing him on the established warrior code: disciplined engagement in battle, guardianship of subjects, and continued ritual responsibility, framed as an eternal, settled dharma.