Shloka 44
रक्षमाणैर्जयं वीरैर्धर्मज्ैरपि सात्वत । सात्वत! इस प्रकार धर्मके जाननेवाले वीर पाण्डवों तथा शत्रुओंने भी युद्धके मैदानमें अपनी विजयको सुरक्षित रखनेके लिये समय-समयपर अधर्मपूर्ण बर्ताव किया है || ४३ ३ || दुर्ज्ञेयः स परो धर्मस्तथाधर्मश्न दुर्विद:
rakṣamāṇair jayaṁ vīrair dharmajñair api sātvata | sātvata! evaṁ dharmajñā vīrāḥ pāṇḍavāḥ śatrubhiś ca raṇāṅgaṇe sva-jaya-rakṣaṇārthaṁ kāle kāle ’dharmapūrṇaṁ vyavahāram api kṛtavantaḥ || durjñeyaḥ sa paro dharmas tathādharmo ’pi durvidaḥ ||
Dhrishtadyumna berkata: “Wahai Sātvata! Demi menjaga kemenangan, para kesatria yang memahami dharma pun kadang bertindak dengan cara yang ternoda adharma. Di medan perang ini, bukan hanya para Pāṇḍava, bahkan musuh pun dari waktu ke waktu menempuh laku yang tidak sepenuhnya benar demi mengukuhkan kemenangan mereka. Dharma tertinggi sukar dikenali, dan adharma pun sama sulit ditimbang.”
धृष्टह्युम्न उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the difficulty of discerning true dharma in extreme situations like war: even dharma-knowing heroes may commit questionable acts to protect victory, showing that moral judgment in conflict is complex and often contested.
Dhṛṣṭadyumna addresses Sātvata (Kṛṣṇa), arguing that both the Pāṇḍavas and their enemies have, at times, used unrighteous means on the battlefield to secure success, and he underscores that distinguishing dharma from adharma is not straightforward.