Mahabharata 7.145.68 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 145, Shloka 68
धृष्टद्युम्नस्य द्रोणाभिमुख्यं तथा सात्यकि-कर्ण-समागमः
Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s advance toward Droṇa and the Sātyaki–Karṇa confrontation
सर्वकालं मनुष्येण व्यवसायवता सदा । पीडाकरममित्राणां यत् स्यात् कर्तव्यमेव तत्
sarvakālaṃ manuṣyeṇa vyavasāyavatā sadā | pīḍākaraṃ amitrāṇāṃ yat syāt kartavyam eva tat ||
ദൃഢനിശ്ചയവും പരിശ്രമവും ഉള്ള മനുഷ്യന് സകലകാലവും ശത്രുക്കൾക്ക് പീഡ വരുത്തുന്ന പ്രവൃത്തിയേ ചെയ്യേണ്ട കര്ത്തവ്യമെന്നു കരുതപ്പെടുന്നു.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse advances a hardline, pragmatic war-ethic: a determined person should do what effectively harms the enemy. It prioritizes strategic efficacy over softer moral restraints, presenting this as a maxim of resolute action.
Sañjaya reports a proverbial statement (attributed to Vālmīki in the accompanying prose) to support an argument in a tense wartime context—namely, that in conflict one should undertake actions that cause suffering to enemies, even when objections based on moral scruples are raised.
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