Shloka 8
Arjuna’s Self-Identification and the Ten Names
Uttara–Arjuna Saṃvāda
रक्षध्वमपि चात्मानं व्यूहध्वं वाहिनीमपि । वैशसं च प्रतीक्षध्व॑ं रक्षध्वं चापि गोधनम्,“आपलोग अपने आपकी रक्षा तो करें ही, सेनाका भी व्यूह बना लें। युद्धमें बहुत बड़ा नरसंहार होनेवाला है। उसकी प्रतीक्षा करें और इस गोधनकी भी रखवाली करते रहें
rakṣadhvam api cātmānaṁ vyūhadhvaṁ vāhinīm api | vaiśasaṁ ca pratīkṣadhvaṁ rakṣadhvaṁ cāpi godhanam ||
„Schützt euch selbst und ordnet auch das Heer in rechter Schlachtordnung. Ein grauenhaftes Gemetzel steht bevor—seid darauf gefasst—und wacht ebenso über diesen Reichtum an Rindern.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse stresses kṣatriya responsibility: safeguard one’s own people, organize the army with disciplined strategy (vyūha), and protect communal wealth (especially cattle), while facing the harsh reality that war can bring catastrophic loss.
Vaiśampāyana reports an urgent instruction to prepare for imminent conflict: the force should be arranged in formation, individuals should remain vigilant for their own safety, and special care should be taken to guard the cattle—an immediate and valuable target in the Virāṭa episode.