Shloka 52
युधिछिर उवाच इष्वस्त्रमेषां देवत्वं यज्ञ एषां सतामिव । भयं वै मानुषो भाव: परित्यागोडसतामिव
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | iṣv-astram eṣāṁ devatvaṁ yajña eṣāṁ satām iva | bhayaṁ vai mānuṣo bhāvaḥ parityāgo ’satām iva ||
Yudhiṣṭhira répondit : «Pour ces kṣatriyas, la divinité est la maîtrise de l’arc et des armes ; le sacrifice (yajña) est leur dharma, comme chez les justes. La peur est bien une impulsion humaine ; mais abandonner ceux qui, dans la détresse, ont cherché refuge, voilà une conduite d’injustes.»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A kṣatriya’s true ‘divinity’ is disciplined martial skill used in service of dharma; fear may arise naturally, but abandoning those who seek protection—especially the distressed—is condemned as unrighteous conduct.
Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a moral standard for warriors: their vocation includes sacrifice-like duty and the obligation to protect the vulnerable; he contrasts understandable human fear with the unacceptable act of forsaking those who have taken refuge.