Shloka 16

उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय ८१: कृष्णस्य दूतप्रयाणम्

Udyoga Parva, Chapter 81: Krishna Sets Out as Envoy

Devanagari script

यही कुन्तीकुमारोंके योग्य कार्य है। श्रीकृष्ण! यदि यह किया जाय तो आपके भी यशका विस्तार होगा और समस्त क्षत्रियसमुदायको भी सुख मिलेगा ।। क्षत्रियेण हि हन्तव्य: क्षत्रियो लोभमास्थित: । अक्षत्रियो वा दाशार्ह स्वधर्ममनुतिष्ठता

Transliteration

kṣatriyeṇa hi hantavyaḥ kṣatriyo lobham āsthitaḥ | akṣatriyo vā dāśārha svadharmam anutiṣṭhatā ||

Translation

ಲೋಭವನ್ನು ಆಶ್ರಯಿಸಿದ ಕ್ಷತ್ರಿಯನು ನಿಶ್ಚಯವಾಗಿ ಕ್ಷತ್ರಿಯನಿಂದಲೇ ವಧಿಸಲ್ಪಡಬೇಕು; ಅಥವಾ ಹೇ ದಾಶಾರ್ಹ (ಕೃಷ್ಣಾ), ತನ್ನ ಸ್ವಧರ್ಮವನ್ನು ದೃಢವಾಗಿ ಆಚರಿಸುವ ಅಕ್ಷತ್ರಿಯನಿಂದಲೂ ವಧಿಸಲ್ಪಡಬಹುದು.

Word by Word

क्षत्रियेणby a kshatriya

हिindeed/for

हन्तव्यःis to be slain / must be killed

क्षत्रियःa kshatriya (man)

लोभम्greed

आस्थितःhaving resorted to / possessed of

अक्षत्रियःa non-kshatriya

वाor

दाशार्हO Dāśārha (Krishna)

स्वधर्मम्one's own duty

अनुतिष्ठताby (one) practicing/following

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Śrī Kṛṣṇa (Dāśārha)

Kṣatriya (warrior class)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler or warrior who becomes dominated by greed is a threat to dharma and public welfare; restraining such a person—even through lethal force—can be a duty when performed as disciplined svadharma rather than personal vengeance.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana, narrating the events of the Udyoga Parva, frames an argument addressed to Krishna: that decisive action against a greed-driven Kshatriya is justified and can bring wider peace and honor, emphasizing duty-bound intervention.