Shloka 3
बक-गौतमाख्यानम् / The Baka–Gautama Account
On Gratitude and Friendship Ethics
विशीर्णे कार्मुके राजन् प्रक्षीणेषु च वाजिषु । खड्गेन शक््यते युद्धे साध्वात्मा परिरक्षितुम्
viśīrṇe kārmuke rājan prakṣīṇeṣu ca vājiṣu | khaḍgena śakyate yuddhe sādhv-ātmā parirakṣitum, rājan ||
Nakula said: “O King, even when the bow is shattered and the horses are spent, a disciplined man can still protect himself well in battle by means of the sword.”
नकुल उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when primary resources fail (a broken bow and exhausted horses), one should not collapse into helplessness; with steadiness of character and presence of mind, one can still defend oneself using what remains (here, the sword).
Nakula addresses a king and offers a battlefield maxim: loss of key equipment does not end one’s capacity to act; a capable, disciplined warrior can continue to protect himself in combat with a sword.