Shloka 16

Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 126 — Kṛṣṇa’s Indictment of Misrule and the Varuṇa Analogy (कृष्णवाक्यं–धर्मपाशदृष्टान्तः)

Devanagari script

मुख्यश्वैवैष नो धर्म: क्षत्रियाणां जनार्दन । यच्छयीमहि संग्रामे शरतल्पगता वयम्‌,“'जनार्दन! हम क्षत्रियोंका यही प्रधान धर्म है कि संग्राममें हमें बाण-शय्यापर सोनेका अवसर प्राप्त हो

Transliteration

mukhyam eva eṣa no dharmaḥ kṣatriyāṇāṃ janārdana | yac chayīmahi saṅgrāme śaratālpagatā vayam ||

Translation

हे जनार्दन! आम्हा क्षत्रियांचा हाच प्रधान धर्म आहे की संग्रामात आम्हाला बाण-शय्येवर शयन करण्याचा प्रसंग यावा.

Word by Word

मुख्यःprincipal, foremost

एवindeed, only

एषःthis

नःof us, our

धर्मःduty, dharma

क्षत्रियाणाम्of kshatriyas

जनार्दनO Janardana (Krishna)

यत्that which

शयीमहिwe lie down, we sleep

संग्रामेin battle

शरतल्पगताgone to a bed of arrows

वयम्we

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Janārdana (Kṛṣṇa)

Kṣatriyas

saṅgrāma (battle)

śaratālpa (bed of arrows)

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 articulates kṣatriya-dharma: a warrior’s highest duty is steadfastness in righteous battle, accepting even death—symbolized by ‘lying on a bed of arrows’—as an honorable culmination of duty rather than a misfortune.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Udyoga Parva’s war-preparation context, the speaker addresses Kṛṣṇa as Janārdana and frames the warrior code: for Kṣatriyas, the ideal outcome is to meet battle unflinchingly, even if it ends in being struck down and lying upon arrows.