Shloka 52
# 2 (से ही पर हिल /[]00 ५५५ ' आमन्त्रये त्वां भगवन् योत्स्ये विगतकल्मष: । कथं जये रिपून् सर्वाननुज्ञातस्त्वया द्विज,“भगवन्! मैं सलाह पूछता हूँ, किस प्रकार आपके साथ निरपराध एवं पापरहित होकर युद्ध करूँगा? विप्रवर! आपकी आज्ञासे मैं समस्त शत्रुओंको किस प्रकार जीतू?”
āmantraye tvāṃ bhagavan yotsye vigatakalmaṣaḥ | kathaṃ jaye ripūn sarvān anujñātastvayā dvija ||
Sañjaya said: “O Blessed one, I seek your counsel. How may I fight, free from stain and wrongdoing? O best of Brahmins, once permitted by you, how shall I conquer all these enemies?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames warfare under ethical scrutiny: victory is not sought merely through force, but through right authorization and inner purity—acting with permission from a revered authority and striving to remain free from moral taint (kalmaṣa).
A speaker (reported by Sañjaya) addresses a revered Brahmin/authority figure, asking for guidance and permission: how to engage in battle without incurring sin, and—once authorized—how to overcome all enemies.