Shloka 25
कर्णपर्व — पञ्चदशोऽध्यायः | Karṇa Parva, Chapter 15: Pāṇḍya’s Advance and Aśvatthāmā’s Counterstroke
यदत्रानन्तरं प्राप्त शंस मे तद्धि माधव । आतिथ्यकर्माभ्युत्थाय दीयतां यदि मन्यसे
yad atrānantaraṃ prāptaṃ śaṃsa me taddhi mādhava | ātithyakarmābhyutthāya dīyatāṃ yadi manyase | mādhava! ekaṃ ora to me śaṃsaptakānāṃ vadhaṃ kartavyaṃ, dvitīyāṃ ora droṇakumāra aśvatthāmā yuddhāya mamāhvānaṃ karoti | ataḥ atra mama yat pūrvaṃ kartavyaṃ prāptaṃ, tat me vada | yadi tvaṃ samyak manyase tarhi pūrvaṃ utthāya aśvatthāmana eva ātithyaṃ grahītuṃ avasaro dīyatām ||
Sañjaya said: “Tell me, O Mādhava, what duty has arisen here next. If you think it right, let the act of hospitality be offered by rising to receive him. O Mādhava, on one side I must slay the Saṃsaptakas; on the other, Droṇa’s son Aśvatthāmā is challenging me to battle. Therefore, tell me what should be done first in this situation. If you judge it proper, then let Aśvatthāmā be given the first opportunity to be received as a ‘guest’—that is, to be met first in combat.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma as situational discernment: when multiple obligations arise at once, one should seek wise counsel and prioritize the most fitting duty. It also shows how classical texts can use social-ethical language (hospitality) as a metaphor for martial conduct—meeting a challenger with due ‘reception’ in battle.
Sanjaya reports a moment of tactical and ethical choice: the speaker addresses Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa) asking what should be done first, since two demands compete—fighting the Saṃsaptakas and responding to Aśvatthāmā’s direct challenge. The request frames the decision as giving ‘hospitality’ by rising to meet Aśvatthāmā first.