एतदाज्ञाय वचन सर्वास्तानब्रवीत् तदा । जीवितं रक्षत नृपा: शासन प्रतिगृह्यताम्,उनकी ये बातें सुनकर अर्जुनने उनसे कहा--'राजाओ! अपने प्राणोंकी रक्षा करो। इसका एक ही उपाय है, हमारा शासन स्वीकार कर लो”
etad ājñāya vacanaṁ sarvāṁs tān abravīt tadā | jīvitaṁ rakṣata nṛpāḥ śāsanaṁ pratigṛhyatām ||
Having understood this situation and its import, he then addressed all those kings: “Protect your lives, O rulers. There is one course for you—accept our authority.” The statement frames submission not merely as political compliance but as the ethical alternative to needless destruction, offering preservation of life in place of further conflict.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse emphasizes the ethical priority of preserving life and avoiding futile bloodshed: when defeat is evident, accepting rightful authority is presented as a dharmic, life-protecting alternative to continued resistance.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that, after grasping the situation, a speaker addresses the assembled kings and urges them to save their lives by accepting the prevailing rule/command—signaling a move from confrontation toward submission and order.