Shloka 19

Devanagari script

क्षत्रधर्माच्च्युतो राज्ञि भवेयं शाश्वती: समा: । प्रतिज्ञां तामनिस्तीर्य ततस्तत्‌ कृतवानहम्‌,रानीजी! यदि मैं उस प्रतिज्ञाको पूर्ण न करता तो सदाके लिये क्षत्रियधर्मसे गिर जाता, इसलिये मैंने यह काम किया था

Transliteration

kṣatradharmāccyuto rājñi bhaveyaṃ śāśvatīḥ samāḥ | pratijñāṃ tāmanistīrya tatastat kṛtavān aham ||

Translation

“Wahai Ratu, seandainya aku tidak menuntaskan sumpah itu, niscaya aku akan menyimpang dari dharma seorang kṣatriya untuk masa yang tak berkesudahan. Karena itulah aku melakukan perbuatan itu.”

Word by Word

क्षत्रधर्मात्from kshatriya-duty

च्युतःfallen (deviated)

राज्ञिO queen

भवेयम्I would become

शाश्वतीःeternal

समाःyears

प्रतिज्ञाम्vow, promise

ताम्that

अनिस्तीर्यnot having fulfilled (not having carried through)

ततःthen, therefore

तत्that (deed)

कृतवान्having done, did

अहम्I

Speaker

भीमसेन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīmasena

rājñī (the queen)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A kṣatriya’s ethical identity is bound to steadfastly fulfilling solemn vows; failing to keep one’s pledged word is portrayed as a fall from dharma with long-lasting moral consequence.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the grief-filled context of the Strī Parva, Bhīma addresses the queen and justifies a harsh wartime act by appealing to kṣatriya-duty: he acted because he had made a vow and believed abandoning it would mean a grave lapse from dharma.