Shloka 98
Chapter 47: Krauñca-vyūha Deployment and Conch-Signals
Kaurava–Pāṇḍava Readiness
वृणोमि त्वां महाबाहो युद्धयस्व मम कारणात् । त्वयि पिण्डश्न तन्तुश्न धृतराष्ट्रस्य दृश्यते
vṛṇomi tvāṃ mahābāho yudhyasva mama kāraṇāt | tvayi piṇḍaś ca tantuś ca dhṛtarāṣṭrasya dṛśyate ||
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: «O Starkarmiger, ich nehme dich an—kämpfe um meinetwillen. Denn es scheint, dass auf dir die Fortdauer der Linie Dhṛtarāṣṭras und die Vollziehung der Ahnenriten, der piṇḍa- und Wasserspenden, beruht.»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links warfare and political choice to dharma: a warrior’s action is framed not merely as personal valor but as responsibility toward lineage (tantu) and the continuity of ancestral obligations (piṇḍa/udaka rites). Ethical agency is presented as bearing consequences for family continuity and ritual duty.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a mighty warrior, formally accepting him and urging him to fight on Yudhiṣṭhira’s behalf. He argues that the survival of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s dynastic continuity and the capacity to perform ancestral rites appear to rest upon this person, making the decision to fight a matter of broader familial and ritual consequence.