Shloka 5
Kṛṣṇasya Karṇam Prati Sāntvavacana
Kṛṣṇa’s Conciliatory Address to Karṇa
तं च पुत्रात् प्रियतमं प्रतियोत्स्ये धनंजयम् । क्षात्रं धर्ममनुष्ठाय धिगस्तु क्षत्रजीविकाम्,मेरे पुत्रसे भी बढ़कर प्रियतम उन्हीं अर्जुनसे मुझे क्षत्रियरर्मका आश्रय लेकर युद्ध करना पड़ेगा क्षात्र-वृत्तिको धिक्कार है!
taṁ ca putrāt priyatamaṁ pratiyotsye dhanañjayam | kṣātraṁ dharmam anuṣṭhāya dhig astu kṣatrajīvikām ||
And I must fight Dhanañjaya—who is dearer to me even than my own son—while performing the warrior’s duty. Fie upon the livelihood of the Kṣatriya, for it compels one to battle even those most beloved, in the name of dharma.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tragic tension within dharma: a Kṣatriya’s obligation to uphold warrior-duty can force one into violence even against those one loves most, prompting moral revulsion toward a life bound to such compulsory conflict.
Bhīṣma speaks of the impending war and laments that he will have to fight Arjuna (Dhanañjaya), whom he cherishes more than his own son, because he is bound to act according to kṣātra-dharma.