Shloka 29
Adhyāya 112: Bhīṣma-prati Arjunasya Pravṛttiḥ
Arjuna’s Forward Drive Toward Bhīṣma
अद्य ते पुरुषव्याप्र प्रतिमोक्ष्ये ऋणं तव । भर्तृपिण्डकृतं राजन् निहतः पृतनामुखे,'पुरुषसिंह! नरेश! तुम स्वामी हो, मुझपर तुम्हारे अन्नका ऋण है; आज युद्धके मुहानेपर मारा जाकर मैं तुम्हारे उस ऋणको उतार दूँगा”
adya te puruṣavyāghra pratimokṣye ṛṇaṃ tava | bhartṛpiṇḍakṛtaṃ rājan nihataḥ pṛtanāmukhe ||
Sañjaya said: “Today, O tiger among men, I shall repay the debt I owe you. O King, the obligation incurred by living on my lord’s sustenance—I will discharge it by being slain at the very front of the battle.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dharmic idea of ṛṇa (moral debt): one who lives on a patron’s sustenance bears an obligation of gratitude and service. In a warrior context, that obligation is framed as repaid through ultimate sacrifice—offering one’s life at the battlefront for the lord who maintained and protected him.
Sañjaya reports a warrior’s declaration to his king: he acknowledges having been sustained by the king (bhartṛpiṇḍa) and vows that, on this very day, he will repay that debt by fighting at the forefront and, if necessary, being slain there.