Shloka 62
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 71 — Kṣatra-dharma Counsel, Public Legitimacy, and Mobilization
अकीर्ति सर्वभूतेषु शाश्वतीं सोडधिगच्छति । जो शत्रुके कुलमें आबालवृद्ध सभी पुरुषोंका उच्छेद कर डालता है
akīrtiḥ sarvabhūteṣu śāśvatīṁ so 'dhigacchati | yo śatruke kule ābālavṛddhaṁ sarveṣāṁ puruṣāṇām ucchedaṁ karoti sa vīrocita-yaśasā vañcito bhavati | sa samasta-prāṇiṣu sadā sthitāyā apakīrteḥ (nindāyāḥ) bhāgī bhavati ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Ia menanggung aib yang kekal di hadapan semua makhluk. Orang yang di keluarga musuh memusnahkan setiap laki-laki—dari anak-anak hingga orang tua—kehilangan kemasyhuran yang layak bagi seorang ksatria; ia menjadi sasaran celaan yang tak putus di mata semua yang hidup.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in conflict, indiscriminate annihilation—especially wiping out an enemy’s entire family across generations—is condemned. Such cruelty destroys true heroic honor and brings lasting ill-fame before all beings; dharma requires restraint and proportionality in violence.
In Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a moral boundary for kṣatriya conduct: victory sought through total extermination of an enemy’s lineage is not valor but a source of perpetual blame, undermining the very fame warriors seek.