Shloka 5
Pradyumna–Śālva Missile-Exchange at Saubha (Āraṇyaka Parva, Adhyāya 18)
सौते कि ते व्यवसितं कस्माद् यासि पराड्मुख: । नैष वृष्णिप्रवीराणामाहवे धर्म उच्यते,'सूतपुत्र! आज तूने कया सोचा है? क्यों युद्धसे मुँह मोड़कर भागा जा रहा है? युद्धसे पलायन करना वृष्णिवंशी वीरोंका धर्म नहीं है
saute ki te vyavasitaṁ kasmād yāsi parāṅmukhaḥ | naiṣa vṛṣṇipravīrāṇām āhave dharma ucyate ||
Vāyu said: “O Sūta’s son, what resolve have you formed that you turn away and flee? To withdraw from battle is not declared to be the dharma of the foremost heroes of the Vṛṣṇi line.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts a martial-ethical norm: for renowned warriors, especially those of the Vṛṣṇi line, turning away from battle is not considered dharma; steadfastness and courage are framed as duty.
Vāyudeva addresses a person called “Sūta’s son,” challenging his sudden resolve to retreat and rebuking him for fleeing from combat, invoking clan-honor and dharma as the standard.