Shloka 7
भीष्म–दुर्योधनसंवादः — शिखण्डिनं न हन्तुं कारणकथनम्
Amba-ākhyāna prologue
क्षत्रधर्मा तु राजेन्द्र मतो मे<र्थरथो नृप । धृष्टद्युम्नस्य तनयो बाल्यान्नातिकृतश्रम:,राजेन्द्र! धृष्टद्युम्नका पुत्र क्षत्रधर्मा मेरी समझमें अभी अर्धरथी है। बाल्यावस्था होनेके कारण उसने अस्त्र-विद्यामें अधिक परिश्रम नहीं किया है
kṣatradharmā tu rājendra mato me 'rtharatho nṛpa | dhṛṣṭadyumnasya tanayo bālyān nātikṛtaśramaḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai raja yang terbaik, pada hematku Kṣatradharmā, putera Dhṛṣṭadyumna, hanyalah seorang ardharatha—pahlawan kereta perang yang belum sempurna latihannya. Kerana masih muda, dia belum banyak bersungguh-sungguh dalam ilmu senjata; maka kedudukannya dalam dharma kṣatriya dan kemahiran medan tempurnya belum matang sepenuhnya.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma emphasizes that kṣatriya-dharma is not merely a birth-based identity but a discipline proven through training and exertion; youth and insufficient practice limit one’s battlefield competence and thus one’s effective fulfillment of warrior duty.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Bhīṣma is evaluating combatants for the king, judging Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s son to be only an ardharatha—still young and not yet thoroughly trained in weaponry—thereby advising on relative strength and preparedness.