Shloka 19
कर्णभीमसमागमः | Karṇa–Bhīma Encounter
कमप्यर्थ पुरस्कृत्य न हतौ युधि मारिष | “मान्यवर! इसने महासमरमें शूरवीर नकुल-सहदेवको भी परास्त करके किसी विशेष प्रयोजनको सामने रखकर उन दोनोंको युद्धमें मार नहीं डाला ।।
kam apy arthaṁ puraskṛtya na hatau yudhi māriṣa | yena vṛṣṇipravīras tu sātyakiḥ sātvatāṁ varaḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : «Ô seigneur vénérable, gardant en vue quelque dessein particulier, il ne les tua pas au combat, bien qu’il eût vaincu, dans la grande mêlée, les héroïques Nakula et Sahadeva. C’est par cette même retenue et cette même intention que Sātyaki —le plus éminent des Vṛṣṇis et le meilleur des Sātvatas— put agir de la sorte.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, victory does not automatically justify killing. A warrior may restrain himself and act with a specific higher aim—strategy, duty, or a principled intention—showing that ethical choice and purpose can govern violent power.
Sañjaya reports that a warrior who had defeated Nakula and Sahadeva nevertheless did not kill them, because he had some particular objective in mind. He then connects this point to Sātyaki, praising him as the foremost Vṛṣṇi hero, implying a similar pattern of purposeful action and restraint.