Shloka 8
बभ्रुवाहन-धनंजययोः संग्रामः
Babhruvāhana and Dhanaṃjaya’s engagement at Maṇipūra
इत्युक्तो5हं नरेन्द्रेण न हन्तव्या नूपा इति | कथं तन्न मृषेदं स्याद् धर्मराजवच: शुभम्,प्रोवाच वाक््यं धर्मज्ञ: सैन्धवान् युद्धदुर्मदान् । “अहो! महाराजने कहा था कि क्षत्रियोंका वध न करना। धर्मराजका वह मंगलमय वचन कैसे मिथ्या न हो। राजालोग मारे न जायँ और राजा युधिष्ठिरकी आज्ञाका पालन हो जाय, इसके लिये क्या करना चाहिये।” ऐसा सोचकर धर्मके ज्ञाता पुरुषप्रवर अर्जुनने रणोन्मत्त सैन्धवोंसे इस प्रकार कहा--
ity ukto 'haṁ narendreṇa na hantavyā nṛpā iti | kathaṁ tan na mṛṣedaṁ syād dharmarāja-vacaḥ śubham | provāca vākyaṁ dharmajñaḥ saindhavān yuddha-durmadān |
Vaiśampāyana said: “When the king had thus instructed me—‘Kings are not to be slain’—I reflected: ‘How can the auspicious word of Dharmarāja prove untrue?’ Seeking a course by which rulers would not be killed and yet Yudhiṣṭhira’s command would be fulfilled, Arjuna, knower of dharma, addressed the Sindhu warriors, intoxicated with battle, in these words.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma as fidelity to a righteous command while avoiding needless harm: Arjuna seeks a solution that preserves the king’s ethical injunction (‘do not kill rulers’) and also ensures that Dharmarāja’s word remains true—showing that moral action in war requires restraint and thoughtful means, not mere violence.
After receiving a royal instruction that kings should not be slain, Arjuna reflects on how to carry out Yudhiṣṭhira’s order without making it false. He then turns to address the Saindhava warriors, described as arrogant from battle, preparing to propose or announce a course of action consistent with dharma.