Shloka 35
Book 10, Adhyāya 12: Aśvatthāmā’s Request for the Cakra and the Brahmaśiras Context
भारताचार्यपुत्रस्त्वं मानित: सर्वयादवै: । चक्रेण रथिनां श्रेष्ठ क॑ नु तात युयुत्ससे,“तात! रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठ! तुम तो भरतकुलके आचार्यके पुत्र हो। सम्पूर्ण यादवोंने तुम्हारा बड़ा सम्मान किया है। फिर बताओ तो सही, इस चक्रके द्वारा तुम किसके साथ युद्ध करना चाहते हो?”
bharatācārya-putras tvaṁ mānitaḥ sarva-yādavaiḥ | cakreṇa rathināṁ śreṣṭha kaṁ nu tāta yuyutsase ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “You are the son of the preceptor of the Bharata line, and you have been honored by all the Yādavas. O best of chariot-warriors, dear one—tell me: with whom do you now wish to fight, wielding this discus?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames warfare within ethical scrutiny: social honor, lineage, and the respect one has received should restrain impulsive violence. Before striking with a powerful weapon, one must ask whether the intended opponent and the act itself align with dharma and gratitude.
Vaiśampāyana narrates a pointed address to a renowned chariot-warrior holding a discus. He reminds him that he is the preceptor’s son in the Bharata line and has been honored by the Yādavas, then challenges him to state whom he intends to fight—implying that such aggression is questionable in the present context.