Shloka 2
बक-गौतमाख्यानम् / The Baka–Gautama Account
On Gratitude and Friendship Ethics
नकुल उवाच धनु: प्रहरणं श्रेष्ठमतीवात्र पितामह । मतस्तु मम धर्मज्ञ खड्ग एव सुसंशित:
nakula uvāca | dhanuḥ praharaṇaṁ śreṣṭham atīvātra pitāmaha | matas tu mama dharmajña khaḍga eva susaṁśitaḥ ||
Nakula said: “Grandfather, knower of dharma, although the bow is regarded here as the foremost of weapons, in my judgment it is the well-honed sword alone that seems best.”
नकुल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights reasoned preference and discernment in the use of power: even if a weapon is widely praised as supreme (the bow), one may judge another (the sword) as more fitting—implying that dharmic action involves context-sensitive choice rather than mere convention.
In a dialogue addressed to the ‘Pitāmaha’ (Bhīṣma), Nakula states his personal assessment of weapon superiority, acknowledging common opinion about the bow while asserting that he considers the well-sharpened sword to be best.