Shloka 52
वसुदेव–अर्जुन संवादः
Vasudeva–Arjuna Dialogue in the Aftermath of Dvārakā
निवर्तध्वमधर्मज्ञा यदि जीवितुमिच्छथ । इदानीं शरनिर्भिन्ना: शोचध्वं निहता मया,“धर्मको न जाननेवाले पापियो! यदि जीवित रहना चाहते हो तो लौट जाओ; नहीं तो मेरे द्वारा मारे जाकर या मेरे बाणोंसे विदीर्ण होकर इस समय तुम बड़े शोकमें पड़ जाओगे”
nivartadhvam adharmājñā yadi jīvitum icchatha | idānīṃ śaranirbhinnāḥ śocadhvaṃ nihatā mayā ||
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: «Retroceded, vosotros que ignoráis el dharma, si queréis vivir. De lo contrario, abatidos por mí—atravesados por flechas—en este mismo instante caeréis en el duelo».
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames survival as contingent on turning away from adharma: those who persist in unrighteous aggression invite immediate, self-caused ruin. It presents dharma not as abstract theory but as a practical boundary—crossing it brings swift consequences.
A speaker issues a direct battlefield-style warning to opponents characterized as ignorant of dharma: retreat if you want to live; otherwise they will be shot down and pierced by arrows, leading to death and grief.