Shloka 503
अध्याय १ — न्यग्रोधवनोपवेशनम् तथा द्रौणिनिश्चयः
Night at the Banyan and Drauṇi’s Resolve
कर्तव्यं तन्मनुष्येण क्षत्रधर्मेण वर्तता । “इस लोकमें जिस कार्यको गर्हणीय समझा जाता हो
kartavyaṁ tanmanuṣyeṇa kṣatradharmeṇa vartatā |
ສັນຊະຍະກ່າວວ່າ: «ສຳລັບມະນຸດຜູ້ປະພຶດຕາມທຳຂອງກະສັດນັກຮົບ (ກະສັດຕຣິຍະທຳ) ການກະທຳນັ້ນພຶງຖືກນັບເປັນໜ້າທີ່—ແມ່ນແຕ່ໃນໂລກນີ້ມັນຖືກເຫັນວ່ານ່າຕຳໜິ ແລະຖືກທຸກຄົນປະນາມຢ່າງໜັກກໍຕາມ.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts that within kṣatriya-dharma, an act may be deemed obligatory even when ordinary social morality condemns it; duty is being defined by one’s role-based dharma rather than by public approval.
In the Sauptika Parva’s opening context, Sañjaya is describing a grim wartime rationale: actions taken under the warrior code are being presented as ‘duty’ even when they appear reprehensible to the wider world.