Shloka 5

अर्जुनस्य युधिष्ठिरं प्रति क्षात्रधर्मोपदेशः | Arjuna’s Counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira on Kṣatra-Dharma

Devanagari script

क्षात्रधर्मो महारौद्र: शस्त्रनित्य इति स्मृतः । वधश्च भरतश्रेष्ठ काले शस्त्रेण संयुगे,“भरतश्रेष्ठ! क्षत्रियोंका धर्म बड़ा भयंकर है। उसमें सदा शस्त्रसे ही काम पड़ता है और समय आनेपर युद्धमें शस्त्रद्वारा उनका वध भी हो जाता है (अत: उनके लिये शोक करनेका कोई कारण नहीं है)

Transliteration

kṣātradharmo mahāraudraḥ śastranitya iti smṛtaḥ | vadhaś ca bharataśreṣṭha kāle śastreṇa saṃyuge ||

Translation

ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。「バーラタ族の最勝者よ、クシャトリヤのダルマはきわめて苛烈で、常に武器と結びつくものとして伝えられている。そして時が来れば、戦の衝突のただ中で、死もまた武器によって訪れる。ゆえに、この武の掟に生きる者にとって、嘆きには正当な拠り所がない。」

Word by Word

क्षात्रधर्मःthe kshatriya-duty

महारौद्रःvery fierce/terrible

शस्त्रनित्यःalways involving weapons

इतिthus

स्मृतःis remembered/considered

वधःkilling/slaughter

चand

भरतश्रेष्ठO best of the Bharatas

कालेat the (proper) time

शस्त्रेणby/with a weapon

संयुगेin battle

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Bharataśreṣṭha (addressed person, ‘best of the Bharatas’)

kṣatriya (warrior class)

śastra (weapons)

saṃyuga (battle)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames kṣatriya-dharma as inherently tied to armed conflict: a warrior’s life involves weapons, and death by weapons in battle is a foreseeable, time-bound outcome. Hence, excessive grief over such deaths is presented as misplaced when viewed through the lens of that duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana addresses a Bharata prince/descendant, explaining the harsh nature of the warrior code. He emphasizes that battle and weapon-death are integral to the kṣatriya’s ordained role, offering a rationale meant to steady the listener’s mind against lamentation.