Shloka 7

Rukmī’s Offer of Aid and Arjuna’s Refusal (रुक्मिप्रस्तावः—अर्जुनप्रत्याख्यानम्)

Devanagari script

ततस्ते क्षत्रियानेव पप्रच्छुद्धिजसत्तमा: । तेभ्य: शशंसुर्धर्मज्ञा याथातथ्यं पितामह,“पितामह! तब जन श्रेष्ठ ब्राह्मणोंने क्षत्रियोंसे ही पूछा--हमारी पराजयका क्या कारण है? उस समय धर्मज्ञ क्षत्रियोंने उनसे यथार्थ कारण बता दिया

Transliteration

tataste kṣatriyāneva papracchur dhijāsattamāḥ | tebhyaḥ śaśaṃsur dharmajñā yāthātathyaṃ pitāmaha ||

Translation

അപ്പോൾ ആ ദ്വിജശ്രേഷ്ഠർ ക്ഷത്രിയരോടേ ചോദിച്ചു—“ഞങ്ങളുടെ പരാജയത്തിന് കാരണമെന്ത്?” അപ്പോൾ ധർമ്മജ്ഞരായ ക്ഷത്രിയർ, പിതാമഹാ, സംഭവിച്ചതുപോലെ തന്നെയായി സത്യമായി അവരോട് അറിയിച്ചു।

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

तेthey

क्षत्रियान्Kshatriyas, warriors

एवindeed, only

पप्रच्छुःasked

उद्धिजसत्तमाःthe best among the twice-born (Brahmins)

तेभ्यःto them

शशंसुःtold, declared

धर्मज्ञाःknowers of dharma

याथातथ्यंthe truth as it was, the real facts

पितामहO grandsire

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

dvijās (brahmins)

kṣatriyas

Pitāmaha (Grandsire, typically Bhīṣma)

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 foregrounds yāthātathya—truthful reporting of events—as an ethical duty. Even in matters of defeat and blame, those who know dharma should state the facts without distortion, enabling responsible reflection and right action.

What is happening in the narrative?

A group of eminent brahmins (dvijāsattamāḥ) question the kṣatriyas about the reason for their defeat. The kṣatriyas, described as dharma-knowing, respond by recounting the true cause exactly as it occurred, addressing the ‘Grandsire’ (pitāmaha).