Shloka 8
अध्याय ४ — दुर्योधनस्य असंधि-निश्चयः
Duryodhana’s Refusal of Reconciliation
न युद्धधर्माच्छेयान् वै पन्था राजेन्द्र विद्यते यं समाश्रित्य युद्धयन्ते क्षत्रिया: क्षत्रियर्षभ,राजेन्द्र! क्षत्रियशिरोमणे! युद्धधर्मसे बढ़कर दूसरा कोई कल्याणकारी मार्ग नहीं है, जिसका आश्रय लेकर क्षत्रिय लोग युद्धमें तत्पर रहते हैं
na yuddhadharmāc chreyān vai panthā rājendra vidyate | yaṃ samāśritya yudhyante kṣatriyāḥ kṣatriyarṣabha ||
സഞ്ജയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ രാജേന്ദ്രാ, ഹേ ക്ഷത്രിയശ്രേഷ്ഠാ! യുദ്ധധർമ്മത്തേക്കാൾ ശ്രേയസ്കരമായ മറ്റൊരു മാർഗം ഇല്ല. അതേ ധർമ്മത്തെ ആശ്രയിച്ച്, ഹേ ക്ഷത്രിയവൃഷഭാ, ക്ഷത്രിയർ യുദ്ധത്തിൽ ഏർപ്പെടുന്നു.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts that for a kṣatriya, adherence to yuddha-dharma—fighting in accordance with the warrior’s duty and code—is regarded as the most welfare-producing course, framing battle not as mere violence but as a prescribed responsibility within social and moral order.
Sañjaya, narrating events to the king, emphasizes the legitimacy and necessity of the warriors’ engagement in battle by invoking kṣatriya-dharma, presenting the combatants as acting under an accepted ethical framework rather than personal impulse.