Shloka 102
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ११०: पार्थभीमयोः प्रहारः तथा भीष्माभिमुखं संग्रामविस्तारः
Arjuna and Bhima’s pressure; escalation toward Bhishma
शाश्वतो<यं स्थितो धर्म: क्षत्रियाणां धनंजय । योद्धव्यं रक्षितव्यं च यष्टव्यं चानसूयुभि:
śāśvato ’yaṃ sthito dharmaḥ kṣatriyāṇāṃ dhanaṃjaya | yoddhavyaṃ rakṣitavyaṃ ca yaṣṭavyaṃ cān asūyubhiḥ ||
Vāyu said: “O Dhanañjaya, this is the established and eternal dharma of the kṣatriyas: without malice or fault-finding toward anyone, they must fight when duty calls, protect the people, and continue the performance of sacrifices (yajña).”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse defines kṣatriya-dharma as a threefold obligation—fight when righteousness requires it, protect the people, and sustain sacred order through sacrifice—while maintaining a mind free from envy or censorious blame (an-asūyā).
Vāyudeva addresses Arjuna (Dhanañjaya), instructing him on the established warrior code: disciplined engagement in battle, guardianship of subjects, and continued ritual responsibility, framed as an eternal, settled dharma.