Shloka 22
Book 3, Āraṇyaka-parva — Adhyāya 19: Pradyumna’s Reproach of Withdrawal and the Ethics of Kṣātra Reputation
तौ रौक्मिणेयमागम्य वचोडब्रूतां दिवौकसाम् | नैष वध्यस्त्वया वीर शाल्वराज: कथंचन,उन दोनोंने रुक्मिणीनन्दन प्रद्युम्मके पास आकर देवताओंका यह संदेश सुनाया --'वीरवर! यह राजा शाल्व युद्धमें कदापि तुम्हारा वध्य नहीं है”
tau raukmiṇeyam āgamya vaco 'brūtāṃ divaukasām | naiṣa vadhyas tvayā vīra śālvarājaḥ kathaṃcana ||
Approaching Rukmiṇī’s son Pradyumna, the two conveyed the message of the gods: “O hero, King Śālva is in no way to be slain by you.” The statement frames the conflict within a higher moral order, implying that even in war a warrior’s agency is bounded by destiny, divine ordinance, and the rightful allotment of who may defeat whom.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in warfare, outcomes are not merely a matter of personal prowess; they are constrained by dharma and by a larger cosmic or divine dispensation. The verse underscores limits on individual agency and the idea that rightful victory/defeat may be allotted to specific agents.
Two messengers approach Pradyumna (Rukmiṇī’s son) and relay a divine warning: he is not destined/authorized to kill King Śālva. The scene functions as a directive that redirects the course of the conflict and signals divine oversight.