Shloka 7
भीष्म–दुर्योधनसंवादः — शिखण्डिनं न हन्तुं कारणकथनम्
Amba-ākhyāna prologue
क्षत्रधर्मा तु राजेन्द्र मतो मे<र्थरथो नृप । धृष्टद्युम्नस्य तनयो बाल्यान्नातिकृतश्रम:
kṣatradharmā tu rājendra mato me 'rtharatho nṛpa | dhṛṣṭadyumnasya tanayo bālyān nātikṛtaśramaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : « Ô le meilleur des rois, selon mon jugement, Kṣatradharmā, fils de Dhṛṣṭadyumna, n’est encore qu’un ardharatha, un guerrier de char à demi formé. Étant encore dans l’enfance, il ne s’est pas grandement appliqué aux disciplines des armes ; ainsi, sa maîtrise du dharma des kṣatriya et son art du champ de bataille ne sont pas encore pleinement mûrs. »
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma emphasizes that kṣatriya-dharma is not merely a birth-based identity but a discipline proven through training and exertion; youth and insufficient practice limit one’s battlefield competence and thus one’s effective fulfillment of warrior duty.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Bhīṣma is evaluating combatants for the king, judging Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s son to be only an ardharatha—still young and not yet thoroughly trained in weaponry—thereby advising on relative strength and preparedness.