Shloka 20
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 3 — Sātyaki on Inner Disposition, Legitimacy, and Coercive Readiness
Devanagari script
नाधर्मो विद्यते कश्चिच्छबत्रूनू हत्वा5डततायिन:
Transliteration
nādharmo vidyate kaścit śatrūn hatvā ’tatāyinaḥ
Translation
ആതതായീ—ആദ്യം ആക്രമിച്ച് പ്രാണത്തെയും ധർമ്മത്തെയും ഭീഷണിയിലാക്കുന്നവൻ—അത്തരം ശത്രുവിനെ വധിക്കുന്നതിൽ അധർമ്മമൊന്നുമില്ല.
Word by Word
nanot
na:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootna
adharmaḥunrighteousness, sin
adharmaḥ:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootadharma
Formmasculine, nominative, singular
vidyateis found, exists
vidyate:
TypeVerb
Root√vid (vindati) / vidyate (ātmanepada usage)
Formpresent, third, singular, ātmanepada
kaścitany (one), whatsoever
kaścit:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootkaścid
Formmasculine, nominative, singular
śatrūnenemies
śatrūn:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootśatru
Formmasculine, accusative, plural
hatvāhaving slain
hatvā:
TypeVerb
Root√han
Formktvā (absolutive/gerund)
ātatāyinaḥassailants, felons (aggressors)
ātatāyinaḥ:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootātatāyin
Formmasculine, accusative, plural
Speaker
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Characters & Entities
V
VaiśaṃpāyanaŚ
śatravaḥ (enemies)Ā
ātatāyin (aggressor)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts that killing an ātatāyin—an immediate, violent aggressor—is not adharma. Ethical responsibility is tied to protecting life and social order when faced with unlawful, initiating violence.
In the Udyoga Parva’s lead-up to war, the narration frames the moral logic of conflict: when opponents act as ātatāyins (aggressors), resistance—even lethal—is presented as dharmically permissible rather than sinful.