Shloka 38
गमयिष्यामि बाणैस्त्वां युधि वैवस्वतक्षयम् । यदि मूर्खतावश तू पुनः मुझसे ऐसी कठोर बातें कहेगा, तो युद्धमें बाणोंद्वारा मैं अभी तुझे यमलोक भेज दूँगा ।। न चैवं मूर्ख धर्मेण केवलेनैव शक््यते
gamayiṣyāmi bāṇais tvāṃ yudhi vaivasvatakṣayam | yadi mūrkhatāvaśas tvaṃ punaḥ mām evaṃ kaṭhorāṇi vacāṃsi vadiṣyasi, tadā yuddhe bāṇair aham adyaiva tvāṃ yamalokaṃ preṣayiṣyāmi || na caivaṃ mūrkha-dharmeṇa kevalenaiva śakyate |
Dhṛṣṭadyumna declares that if his opponent, driven by foolishness, again speaks such harsh words to him, he will send him to the realm of Yama that very day by his arrows in battle. He adds that mere obstinate, foolish ‘dharma’—a hollow moral posture—cannot accomplish what is needed in this situation.
धृष्टह्युम्न उवाच
Educational Q&A
Harsh, reckless speech in a charged moral setting invites grave consequences; ‘dharma’ must be applied with discernment, not as a rigid or self-serving posture, especially amid the responsibilities of battle.
In the midst of the Drona Parva conflict, Dhṛṣṭadyumna responds fiercely to provocation, warning that if the opponent repeats insulting words, he will kill him in battle; he also rejects the idea that mere pretended or misguided righteousness can settle the matter.