Shloka 7
Rukmī’s Offer of Aid and Arjuna’s Refusal (रुक्मिप्रस्तावः—अर्जुनप्रत्याख्यानम्)
ततस्ते क्षत्रियानेव पप्रच्छुद्धिजसत्तमा: । तेभ्य: शशंसुर्धर्मज्ञा याथातथ्यं पितामह,“पितामह! तब जन श्रेष्ठ ब्राह्मणोंने क्षत्रियोंसे ही पूछा--हमारी पराजयका क्या कारण है? उस समय धर्मज्ञ क्षत्रियोंने उनसे यथार्थ कारण बता दिया
tataste kṣatriyāneva papracchur dhijāsattamāḥ | tebhyaḥ śaśaṃsur dharmajñā yāthātathyaṃ pitāmaha ||
Daraufhin fragten die Vornehmsten unter den Zweimalgeborenen allein die Kṣatriyas: „Was war die Ursache unserer Niederlage?“ Da berichteten ihnen die Kṣatriyas, kundig im Dharma, wahrheitsgetreu und genau, wie es sich zugetragen hatte—o Großvater.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds yāthātathya—truthful reporting of events—as an ethical duty. Even in matters of defeat and blame, those who know dharma should state the facts without distortion, enabling responsible reflection and right action.
A group of eminent brahmins (dvijāsattamāḥ) question the kṣatriyas about the reason for their defeat. The kṣatriyas, described as dharma-knowing, respond by recounting the true cause exactly as it occurred, addressing the ‘Grandsire’ (pitāmaha).