Shloka 7
बभ्रुवाहन-धनंजययोः संग्रामः
Babhruvāhana and Dhanaṃjaya’s engagement at Maṇipūra
जेतव्याश्रैति यत् प्रोक्तं धर्मराज्ञा महात्मना । चिन्तयामास स तदा फाल्गुन: पुरुषर्षभ:,“मनमें युद्धका हौसला लेकर खड़े रहो। मैं तुम्हारा घमण्ड चूर किये देता हूँ। भारत! गाण्डीवधारी कुरुनन्दन अर्जुन शत्रुओंसे ऐसा वचन कहकर अपने बड़े भाईकी कही हुई बातें याद करने लगे। महात्मा धर्मराजने कहा था कि “तात! रणभूमिमें विजयकी इच्छा रखनेवाले क्षत्रियोंका वध न करना। साथ ही उन्हें पराजित भी करना।” इस बातको याद करके पुरुषप्रवर अर्जुन इस प्रकार चिन्ता करने लगे
jetavyāśraiti yat proktaṃ dharmarājñā mahātmanā | cintayāmāsa sa tadā phālgunaḥ puruṣarṣabhaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then Phālguna (Arjuna), the bull among men, began to reflect upon what the great-souled Dharmarāja had declared—namely, the principle concerning how victory is to be sought. Remembering his elder brother’s instruction, Arjuna weighed the ethical demand of triumph in battle: to restrain needless slaughter even while subduing opponents and securing victory.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Victory in war is not merely physical conquest; it must be pursued under dharma. The verse frames Yudhiṣṭhira’s guidance as an ethical constraint: subdue opponents and achieve victory without indulging in needless killing, keeping righteous conduct central even in conflict.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Arjuna pauses to reflect on Yudhiṣṭhira’s earlier instruction about how to seek victory. This inner deliberation sets up Arjuna’s next actions by aligning battlefield conduct with the moral counsel of his elder brother.