Shloka 35
कर्ता त्वं कर्मणो हास्य नाहं वृष्णिकुलाधम
kartā tvaṃ karmaṇo hāsya nāhaṃ vṛṣṇikulādhama
Dhṛṣṭadyumna dit : «C’est toi qui as commis cet acte—certainement pas moi, ô le plus vil de la lignée des Vṛṣṇi.»
धृष्टह्युम्न उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension around agency in violent action: in war, speakers often assign responsibility to the opponent, implying that one’s own act is compelled or occasioned by the other’s wrongdoing. It also shows how moral judgment is expressed through honor-shame language and lineage-based reproach.
Dhṛṣṭadyumna addresses an opponent connected with the Vṛṣṇi lineage, declaring that the opponent—not Dhṛṣṭadyumna—is the true agent behind the deed at hand. The statement functions as both accusation and insult amid the battlefield exchange.