Shloka 9
अध्याय ४ — दुर्योधनस्य असंधि-निश्चयः
Duryodhana’s Refusal of Reconciliation
पुत्रो भ्राता पिता चैव स्वस्रनीयो मातुलस्तथा । सम्बन्धिबान्धवाश्रैव योद्धया वै क्षत्रजीविना
putro bhrātā pitā caiva svasr̥nīyo mātulas tathā | sambandhi-bāndhavāś caiva yoddhavyā vai kṣatrajīvinā ||
Sañjaya dit : «Pour l’homme qui vit selon la vocation des kṣatriya—dont l’existence est soutenue par les devoirs de la condition guerrière—il est en vérité du devoir de combattre même les siens : fils, frère, père, fils de la sœur, oncle maternel, et autres parents et proches. Dans l’éthique âpre du kṣatriya-dharma, les liens personnels n’affranchissent pas des obligations du combat lorsque la guerre est devenue la voie prescrite.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse states a stringent principle of kṣatriya-dharma: a warrior by vocation must not abandon the duty of battle merely because the opponent is a close relative; social and familial bonds do not override the role-based obligation once war is engaged.
Sañjaya is describing the warrior code and the grim reality of the Kurukṣetra conflict: combat compels men to confront even their own family members, underscoring how the war dissolves ordinary domestic boundaries under the demands of kṣatriya conduct.