Shloka 7
भीष्म–दुर्योधनसंवादः — शिखण्डिनं न हन्तुं कारणकथनम्
Amba-ākhyāna prologue
क्षत्रधर्मा तु राजेन्द्र मतो मे<र्थरथो नृप । धृष्टद्युम्नस्य तनयो बाल्यान्नातिकृतश्रम:
kṣatradharmā tu rājendra mato me 'rtharatho nṛpa | dhṛṣṭadyumnasya tanayo bālyān nātikṛtaśramaḥ ||
Bhishma dijo: «Oh el mejor de los reyes, a mi juicio Kṣatradharmā, hijo de Dhṛṣṭadyumna, es todavía un ardharatha, un guerrero de carro a medio adiestrar. Por hallarse aún en la niñez, no se ha esforzado mucho en las disciplinas de las armas; así, su cumplimiento del dharma kṣatriya y su destreza en el campo de batalla aún no han madurado por completo».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma emphasizes that kṣatriya-dharma is not merely a birth-based identity but a discipline proven through training and exertion; youth and insufficient practice limit one’s battlefield competence and thus one’s effective fulfillment of warrior duty.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Bhīṣma is evaluating combatants for the king, judging Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s son to be only an ardharatha—still young and not yet thoroughly trained in weaponry—thereby advising on relative strength and preparedness.