Shloka 20
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 3 — Sātyaki on Inner Disposition, Legitimacy, and Coercive Readiness
नाधर्मो विद्यते कश्चिच्छबत्रूनू हत्वा5डततायिन:
nādharmo vidyate kaścit śatrūn hatvā ’tatāyinaḥ
Vaiśampāyana dijo: «No hay injusticia alguna en dar muerte a enemigos que son ‘ātatāyins’: agresores violentos que atacan primero y amenazan la vida y el orden. En tal caso, el acto se entiende como defensa del dharma, no como su quebrantamiento.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts that killing an ātatāyin—an immediate, violent aggressor—is not adharma. Ethical responsibility is tied to protecting life and social order when faced with unlawful, initiating violence.
In the Udyoga Parva’s lead-up to war, the narration frames the moral logic of conflict: when opponents act as ātatāyins (aggressors), resistance—even lethal—is presented as dharmically permissible rather than sinful.