Shloka 37
ब्राह्मणपूजा-राजधर्मः | Royal Duty of Honoring Learned Brahmins
ततस्तु वैतहव्यानां वधाय स महीपति: । पुत्र प्रस्थापयामास प्रतर्दनमरिंदमम्,इसके बाद राजाने अपने पुत्र शत्रुदमन प्रतर्दनको वीतहव्यके पुत्रोंका वध करनेके लिये भेजा
tatastu vaitahavyānāṁ vadhāya sa mahīpatiḥ | putraṁ prasthāpayāmāsa pratardana-marindamam ||
Then that king, intent on the slaying of the Vaitahavyas, dispatched his son Pratardana—an enemy-subduer—to carry out their destruction. The episode underscores how royal policy can turn into inherited violence, as a father authorizes a son to prosecute a campaign of retribution.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of royal decisions: a king’s resolve to punish or destroy an enemy group can become a sanctioned duty for the next generation, showing how vengeance and statecraft can perpetuate cycles of violence.
Bhishma narrates that the king, aiming to kill the Vaitahavyas, sends his son Pratardana—praised as an enemy-subduer—to undertake the campaign against them.