Shloka 98
Chapter 47: Krauñca-vyūha Deployment and Conch-Signals
Kaurava–Pāṇḍava Readiness
वृणोमि त्वां महाबाहो युद्धयस्व मम कारणात् । त्वयि पिण्डश्न तन्तुश्न धृतराष्ट्रस्य दृश्यते,महाबाहो! मैं तुम्हें स्वीकार करता हूँ। तुम मेरे लिये युद्ध करो। राजा धृतराष्ट्रकी वंशपरम्परा तथा पिण्डोदक-क्रिया तुमपर ही अवलम्बित दिखायी देती है
vṛṇomi tvāṃ mahābāho yudhyasva mama kāraṇāt | tvayi piṇḍaś ca tantuś ca dhṛtarāṣṭrasya dṛśyate ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O mighty-armed one, I choose you—fight for my sake. For it is upon you, it seems, that the continuation of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s line and the performance of the ancestral rites (offerings of piṇḍa and water) depend.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links warfare and political choice to dharma: a warrior’s action is framed not merely as personal valor but as responsibility toward lineage (tantu) and the continuity of ancestral obligations (piṇḍa/udaka rites). Ethical agency is presented as bearing consequences for family continuity and ritual duty.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a mighty warrior, formally accepting him and urging him to fight on Yudhiṣṭhira’s behalf. He argues that the survival of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s dynastic continuity and the capacity to perform ancestral rites appear to rest upon this person, making the decision to fight a matter of broader familial and ritual consequence.