Shloka 8
अर्जुन–उलूपीसंवादः
Arjuna and Ulūpī: Explanation of Śānti and the Maṇipūra Resolution
इत्युक्त: प्रत्युवाचैनं प्रहसन्निव पाण्डव: । विघ्नकर्ता मया वार्य इति मे व्रतमाहितम्
ity uktaḥ pratyuvācainaṃ prahasann iva pāṇḍavaḥ | vighnakartā mayā vārya iti me vratam āhitam ||
Ainsi interpellé, le Pāṇḍava (Arjuna) lui répondit comme avec un sourire : «Celui qui cherche à entraver ma route, je dois le retenir : tel est le vœu qui m’a été prescrit. Frappe donc selon ta force ; dans mon cœur, il n’y a nulle colère contre toi.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A warrior’s action can be ethically grounded when it is performed as a vowed duty rather than from personal anger: Arjuna frames resistance to obstruction as an enjoined vrata, emphasizing restraint, clarity of purpose, and absence of malice.
In the Ashvamedha campaign setting, Arjuna is challenged or confronted; he responds calmly—almost smiling—that his vow requires him to stop anyone who blocks his path, and he invites the other party to strike according to their strength while declaring he bears no personal resentment.