Shloka 2
बक-गौतमाख्यानम् / The Baka–Gautama Account
On Gratitude and Friendship Ethics
नकुल उवाच धनु: प्रहरणं श्रेष्ठमतीवात्र पितामह । मतस्तु मम धर्मज्ञ खड्ग एव सुसंशित:
nakula uvāca | dhanuḥ praharaṇaṁ śreṣṭham atīvātra pitāmaha | matas tu mama dharmajña khaḍga eva susaṁśitaḥ ||
नकुल बोले— धर्मज्ञ पितामह! यद्यपि इस जगत में धनुष को अत्यन्त श्रेष्ठ अस्त्र माना जाता है, तथापि मेरे मत में तो अत्यन्त तीक्ष्ण, भली-भाँति सँवारा हुआ खड्ग ही सर्वोत्तम प्रतीत होता है।
नकुल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights reasoned preference and discernment in the use of power: even if a weapon is widely praised as supreme (the bow), one may judge another (the sword) as more fitting—implying that dharmic action involves context-sensitive choice rather than mere convention.
In a dialogue addressed to the ‘Pitāmaha’ (Bhīṣma), Nakula states his personal assessment of weapon superiority, acknowledging common opinion about the bow while asserting that he considers the well-sharpened sword to be best.