Shloka 67
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 47 — Arjuna’s Deterrent Declaration
Sañjaya’s Report
पूर्वाह्न मां कृतजप्यं कदाचिद् विप्र: प्रोवाचोदकान्ते मनोज्ञम् । कर्तव्य॑ ते दुष्करं कर्म पार्थ योद्धव्यं ते शत्रुभि: सव्यसाचिन्
sañjaya uvāca | pūrvāhṇe māṃ kṛtajapyaṃ kadācid vipraḥ provācodakānte manojñam | kartavyaṃ te duṣkaraṃ karma pārtha yoddhavyaṃ te śatrubhiḥ savyasācin ||
サञ्जयは言った。あるとき午前、私は誦念を終え、作法に従って水をすすいだ（アーチャマナ）後に座していた。すると人目のない場所に一人のバラモンが近づき、心地よい言葉でこう告げた。「おおパールタよ、汝の前には困難な務めがある。両手に等しく巧みな弓手よ、汝は敵と戦わねばならぬ。」この言葉は、戦を私怨ではなく、争いが避けがたくなったときにクシャトリヤが負うべき重い義務として示し、定められた責任から退かず備えよと促している。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes dharma as obligation: when a righteous duty becomes difficult—especially for a kṣatriya—one must not evade it out of fear or attachment; the hard action of fighting is presented as a compelled responsibility rather than a personal vendetta.
Sanjaya recounts a past moment after his morning rites when a brahmin privately addressed him with a message directed to Arjuna: that Arjuna must undertake a difficult task and fight his enemies, setting the tone for impending conflict and the counsel surrounding it.