Shloka 23

Devanagari script

तै रक्ष्यममाणै: स नृपो रक्षितव्यो महामृधे । यद्यहं सात्यकिं पश्ये वध्यमानं महारणे,इसी प्रकार उन सुरक्षित होनेवाले सुहृदोंका भी कर्तव्य है कि वे महासमरमें अपने राजाकी रक्षा करें। यदि मैं इस महायुद्धमें सात्यकिको अपने सामने मरते देखता तो उसके वियोगसे मुझे अनर्थकारी पाप लगता। इसीलिये मैंने उसकी रक्षा की है। अतः तुम मुझपर क्यों क्रोध करते हो?

Transliteration

tai rakṣyamāṇaiḥ sa nṛpo rakṣitavyo mahāmṛdhe | yady ahaṃ sātyakiṃ paśye vadhyamānaṃ mahāraṇe ||

Translation

“Mereka yang dilindungi juga, dalam pertempuran besar itu, berkewajipan melindungi raja mereka sebagai balasan. Jika dalam perang yang dahsyat ini aku melihat Sātyaki dibunuh di hadapan mataku, dukacita perpisahan itu akan menimpa diriku bagaikan dosa yang membawa kebinasaan. Maka aku melindunginya—mengapa pula engkau marah kepadaku?”

Word by Word

तैःby them

रक्ष्यमाणैःbeing protected / while being protected

सःhe

नृपःking

रक्षितव्यःmust be protected

महामृधेin the great battle

यदिif

अहम्I

सात्यकिम्Satyaki

पश्येmight see / were to see

वध्यमानम्being slain

महारणेin the great battle

Speaker

अर्जुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

Sātyaki

nṛpa (the king)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Arjuna frames protection as reciprocal dharma: those safeguarded by a ruler or leader must, in turn, safeguard that ruler in crisis; likewise, protecting a loyal ally is a moral obligation, and neglecting it would feel like a culpable wrong.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna justifies his action of defending Sātyaki in the thick of battle, arguing that witnessing Sātyaki’s death would cause unbearable, morally troubling grief; hence his intervention is righteous, and he questions why others blame him for it.