Shloka 44
रक्षमाणैर्जयं वीरैर्धर्मज्ैरपि सात्वत । सात्वत! इस प्रकार धर्मके जाननेवाले वीर पाण्डवों तथा शत्रुओंने भी युद्धके मैदानमें अपनी विजयको सुरक्षित रखनेके लिये समय-समयपर अधर्मपूर्ण बर्ताव किया है || ४३ ३ || दुर्ज्ञेयः स परो धर्मस्तथाधर्मश्न दुर्विद:
rakṣamāṇair jayaṁ vīrair dharmajñair api sātvata | sātvata! evaṁ dharmajñā vīrāḥ pāṇḍavāḥ śatrubhiś ca raṇāṅgaṇe sva-jaya-rakṣaṇārthaṁ kāle kāle ’dharmapūrṇaṁ vyavahāram api kṛtavantaḥ || durjñeyaḥ sa paro dharmas tathādharmo ’pi durvidaḥ ||
Dhrishtadyumna said: “O Sātvata! Even heroic men who know dharma, intent on safeguarding victory, have at times acted in ways that are not fully righteous. Thus, on the battlefield, the valiant Pāṇḍavas—and their enemies as well—have, from time to time, resorted to conduct tainted by adharma in order to secure their triumph. Indeed, the highest dharma is hard to discern, and so too is adharma difficult to judge.”
धृष्टह्युम्न उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the difficulty of discerning true dharma in extreme situations like war: even dharma-knowing heroes may commit questionable acts to protect victory, showing that moral judgment in conflict is complex and often contested.
Dhṛṣṭadyumna addresses Sātvata (Kṛṣṇa), arguing that both the Pāṇḍavas and their enemies have, at times, used unrighteous means on the battlefield to secure success, and he underscores that distinguishing dharma from adharma is not straightforward.