Shloka 19
स्त्रीपर्व — अध्याय १५: गान्धारी-युधिष्ठिर-संवादः
Gandhārī’s Confrontation and Consolation of Yudhiṣṭhira
क्षत्रधर्माच्च्युतो राज्ञि भवेयं शाश्वती: समा: । प्रतिज्ञां तामनिस्तीर्य ततस्तत् कृतवानहम्,रानीजी! यदि मैं उस प्रतिज्ञाको पूर्ण न करता तो सदाके लिये क्षत्रियधर्मसे गिर जाता, इसलिये मैंने यह काम किया था
kṣatradharmāccyuto rājñi bhaveyaṃ śāśvatīḥ samāḥ | pratijñāṃ tāmanistīrya tatastat kṛtavān aham ||
Bhīmasena said: “O Queen, if I had failed to carry through that vow, I would have fallen away from the kṣatriya’s code of duty for endless years. Therefore I did that deed.”
भीमसेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A kṣatriya’s ethical identity is bound to steadfastly fulfilling solemn vows; failing to keep one’s pledged word is portrayed as a fall from dharma with long-lasting moral consequence.
In the grief-filled context of the Strī Parva, Bhīma addresses the queen and justifies a harsh wartime act by appealing to kṣatriya-duty: he acted because he had made a vow and believed abandoning it would mean a grave lapse from dharma.