Shloka 96
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--
proväca vākyaṃ dharmajñaḥ saindhavān yuddha-durmadān | “aho! mahārājena uktaṃ kṣatriyāṇāṃ vadhaṃ mā kārṣīḥ. dharmarājasya tat maṅgalamayaṃ vacanaṃ kathaṃ mithyā na bhavet? rājānaḥ māryantāṃ ca rājā yudhiṣṭhirasya ājñā ca pālyatām—etat-arthaṃ kiṃ kartavyam?” iti saṃcintya dharmajñaḥ puruṣa-pravaraḥ arjunaḥ raṇonmatta-saindhavebhyaḥ evam uvāca—
Vaiśampāyana said: Arjuna, knower of dharma, addressed the Sindhu warriors who were maddened by battle: “Alas! The king has declared that kṣatriyas are not to be slain. How can that auspicious word of Dharmarāja prove false? What should be done so that the kings are not killed, and yet King Yudhiṣṭhira’s command is obeyed?” Having reflected thus, Arjuna—the foremost of men and a discerner of righteousness—spoke in this manner to the Sindhu men, intoxicated with the fury of combat.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights a dharmic dilemma: how to uphold a righteous king’s command (non-slaughter of kṣatriyas) without letting that command become ineffective. Arjuna models ethical deliberation—seeking a course that preserves life while still honoring legitimate authority and the moral weight of a ruler’s word.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Arjuna confronts the war-frenzied Saindhava warriors. Remembering Yudhiṣṭhira’s instruction not to kill kṣatriyas, Arjuna reflects on how to both spare the kings and still carry out the king’s order, and then begins addressing the Saindhavas accordingly.