Shloka 14
व्याधि-गुण-साम्योपदेशः | Discourse on Affliction, Guṇa-Equilibrium, and the Inner Battle
यत्र नैव शरै: कार्य न भृत्यैर्न च बन्धुभि: । आत्मनैकेन योद्धव्यं तत् ते युद्धमुपस्थितम्
yatra naiva śaraiḥ kāryaṁ na bhṛtyair na ca bandhubhiḥ | ātmanāikena yoddhavyaṁ tat te yuddham upasthitam ||
Where neither arrows are of any use, nor servants, nor even kinsmen—there you must fight with your own self alone. That battle has now come before you. The god of Wind points to an inner, solitary struggle in which external force and social support cannot decide the outcome; only personal resolve, self-mastery, and adherence to dharma can.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Some conflicts are fundamentally internal: they cannot be won by weapons, allies, or social power. One must rely on one’s own self-discipline, clarity, and commitment to dharma; the decisive ‘battle’ is self-conquest.
Vāyudeva addresses the listener and declares that a critical confrontation has arrived—one in which external aids (arrows, attendants, relatives) are ineffective. The speaker urges solitary effort: the person must face the impending struggle alone, as an ethical and spiritual test.