Shloka 2
बक-गौतमाख्यानम् / The Baka–Gautama Account
On Gratitude and Friendship Ethics
नकुल उवाच धनु: प्रहरणं श्रेष्ठमतीवात्र पितामह । मतस्तु मम धर्मज्ञ खड्ग एव सुसंशित:,नकुल बोले--धर्मज्ञ पितामह! यद्यपि इस जगत्में धनुष अत्यन्त श्रेष्ठ अस्त्र समझा जाता है, तथापि मुझे तो अत्यन्त तीखा खड्ग ही अच्छा जान पड़ता है
nakula uvāca | dhanuḥ praharaṇaṁ śreṣṭham atīvātra pitāmaha | matas tu mama dharmajña khaḍga eva susaṁśitaḥ ||
Nakula sprach: „Großvater, Kenner des Dharma, obgleich der Bogen hier in der Welt als die vorzüglichste Waffe gilt, scheint mir doch allein das wohlgeschärfte Schwert das Beste zu sein.“
नकुल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights reasoned preference and discernment in the use of power: even if a weapon is widely praised as supreme (the bow), one may judge another (the sword) as more fitting—implying that dharmic action involves context-sensitive choice rather than mere convention.
In a dialogue addressed to the ‘Pitāmaha’ (Bhīṣma), Nakula states his personal assessment of weapon superiority, acknowledging common opinion about the bow while asserting that he considers the well-sharpened sword to be best.