Shloka 21
शमीवृक्षस्थायुधप्रकाशनम् / Revelation and Identification of the Weapons on the Śamī Tree
मध्यमामिषगृध्राणां कुरूणामाततायिनाम् | नेष्यामि त्वां महाबाहो पृथिव्यामपि युध्यताम्,महाबाहो! जैसे गीध मांसपर टूट पड़ते हैं, उसी प्रकार जो गौओंको लूटनेके लिये यहाँ आये हैं, उन आततायी कौरवोंके बीच तुम्हें ले चलती हूँ। यदि ये पृथ्वीके लिये भी युद्ध ठानेंगे तो उसमें भी मैं तुम्हें ले चलूँगी
madhyamāmiṣa-gṛdhrāṇāṃ kurūṇām ātatāyinām | neṣyāmi tvāṃ mahābāho pṛthivyām api yudhyatām ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai yang berlengan perkasa! Aku akan membawa engkau ke tengah-tengah para Kuru yang ganas—rakus akan daging seperti burung hering—yang datang ke sini untuk merampas ternakan. Dan sekalipun mereka bertekad berperang demi seluruh bumi, aku tetap akan membawa engkau ke dalam pertempuran itu.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the opposing side as ātatāyins—violent aggressors—thereby ethically justifying resistance. It highlights a kṣatriya-oriented dharma: protecting the vulnerable and defending rightful property (here, cattle), even if conflict escalates to a wider war for sovereignty.
In the Virāṭa episode surrounding the cattle raid, the speaker declares a determined intent to lead the hero into the midst of the Kuru attackers, comparing their predatory greed to vultures descending on flesh, and vows to accompany him even if the confrontation expands into a full-scale battle for the earth.