Shloka 14
व्याधि-गुण-साम्योपदेशः | Discourse on Affliction, Guṇa-Equilibrium, and the Inner Battle
यत्र नैव शरै: कार्य न भृत्यैर्न च बन्धुभि: । आत्मनैकेन योद्धव्यं तत् ते युद्धमुपस्थितम्
yatra naiva śaraiḥ kāryaṁ na bhṛtyair na ca bandhubhiḥ | ātmanāikena yoddhavyaṁ tat te yuddham upasthitam ||
矢も役に立たず、従者も、ましてや親族さえも頼みにならぬところ——そこでは、汝はただ独り、己自身と戦わねばならぬ。その戦いが今、汝の前に来ている。風神が示すのは、外の力や人の支えでは勝敗の決し得ぬ、内なる孤独の闘争である。決するのは、己の決意と自制、そしてダルマへの遵守のみだ。
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Some conflicts are fundamentally internal: they cannot be won by weapons, allies, or social power. One must rely on one’s own self-discipline, clarity, and commitment to dharma; the decisive ‘battle’ is self-conquest.
Vāyudeva addresses the listener and declares that a critical confrontation has arrived—one in which external aids (arrows, attendants, relatives) are ineffective. The speaker urges solitary effort: the person must face the impending struggle alone, as an ethical and spiritual test.