Shloka 30
Kubera’s Arrival and the Disclosure of Agastya’s Curse
Vaiśaṃpāyana–Janamejaya Narrative
अस्मिन् मुहुर्ते सम्प्राप्ते न भविष्यति राक्षस: । सहदेवस्तु त॑ दृष्टवा राक्षसं मूढचेतनम्,“इस आगामी मुहूर्तके आते ही इस राक्षसके प्राण नहीं रहेंगे।! इधर सहदेवने उस मूढ़ राक्षषकी ओर देखते हुए कुन्तीनन्दन युधिष्ठिस्से कहा--'राजन्! क्षत्रियके लिये इससे अधिक सत्कर्म क्या होगा कि वह युद्धमें शत्रुका सामना करते हुए प्राणोंका त्याग कर दे अथवा शत्रुको ही जीत ले। राजन्! इस प्रकार यह हमें अथवा हम इसे युद्ध करते हुए मार डालें। परंतप महाबाहु नरेश! यह क्षत्रिय धर्मके अनुकूल देश-काल प्राप्त हुआ है। यह समय यथार्थ पराक्रम प्रकट करनेके लिये है
asmin muhūrte samprāpte na bhaviṣyati rākṣasaḥ | sahadevas tu taṃ dṛṣṭvā rākṣasaṃ mūḍha-cetanam |
Vaiśampāyana said: “When this coming auspicious moment arrives, that rākṣasa will not remain alive.” Then Sahadeva, seeing the rākṣasa whose mind was deluded, spoke to Yudhiṣṭhira, Kuntī’s son: “O King, what higher righteous deed is there for a kṣatriya than to give up his life while facing an enemy in battle—or else to conquer that enemy? Therefore, O King, let either he slay us or we slay him as we fight. O mighty-armed ruler, this is the fitting place and time in accord with kṣatriya-dharma; this is the moment to reveal true valor.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage frames kṣatriya-dharma as steadfast courage in a just confrontation: the highest ‘good act’ for a warrior is either to fall while facing the enemy or to win by defeating him, and to recognize the right time and place to manifest rightful valor.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that the decisive moment has come when the rākṣasa will be slain. Sahadeva, seeing the demon’s deluded state, urges King Yudhiṣṭhira to accept battle as the proper course, emphasizing that the present circumstance is ideal for fulfilling warrior duty.