Shloka 323

Devanagari script

कर्तव्यं निधन काले मर्तव्यं क्षत्रबन्धुना । “नरेश्वर! ऐसा विकट संहार दैवीशक्तिके बिना कदापि नहीं हो सकता था। अवश्य ही संग्राममें मनुष्यको विशेषत: क्षत्रियको समयानुसार शत्रुओंका संहार एवं प्राणोत्सर्ग करना चाहिये

Transliteration

kartavyaṁ nidhana-kāle martavyaṁ kṣatra-bandhunā |

Translation

ໄວສັມປາຍະນະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ໃນຍາມມໍລະນະ ກະສັດນັກຮົບ (ກະສັດຕຣິຍ) ຕ້ອງເຮັດຫນ້າທີ່ທີ່ຄວນເຮັດ; ແມ່ນແຕ່ຜູ້ທີ່ເປັນແຕ່ຍາດຂອງນັກຮົບກໍຕ້ອງພ້ອມຈະຕາຍ. ການຂ້າຟັນອັນນ່າສະພຶງກົວແບບນີ້ ບໍ່ອາດເກີດຂຶ້ນໄດ້ເລີຍ ຖ້າບໍ່ມີອຳນາດເທວະ. ດັ່ງນັ້ນ ໃນສົງຄາມ ມະນຸດ—ໂດຍສະເພາະນັກຮົບ—ຄວນຕາມການເວລາແລະສະພາບການ ທຳລາຍສັດຕູ ແລະຖ້າຈຳເປັນ ກໍຄວນສະຫຼະຊີວິດຂອງຕົນ».

Word by Word

कर्तव्यम्to be done; duty (is to be done)

निधनकालेat the time of death

मर्तव्यम्to be died; one must die

क्षत्रबन्धुनाby a kshatriya (lit. ‘kinsman of the kshatra’; a warrior)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

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 underscores kṣatriya-dharma: in the face of death and in battle, a warrior must act according to duty—ready both to strike down enemies when warranted and to relinquish life when the situation demands—while recognizing that catastrophic outcomes may also reflect divine agency beyond human control.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana comments on the enormity of the slaughter, attributing its scale to divine power, and frames the event within the moral code of warfare: for warriors, timely combat, enemy-destruction, and even self-sacrifice are presented as appropriate conduct.