Shloka 6
Jatugṛha-dāhānantara-vṛttāntaḥ
Aftermath of the Lac House Fire
न त्वमर्हसि पार्थेन सूतपुत्र रणे वधम् । कुलस्य सदृशस्तूर्ण प्रतोदो गृह्मुतां त्वया,“अरे ओ सूतपुत्र! तू तो अर्जुनके हाथसे मरने-योग्य भी नहीं है। तुझे तो शीघ्र ही चाबुक हाथमें लेना चाहिये; क्योंकि यही तेरे कुलके अनुरूप है
na tvam arhasi pārthena sūtaputra raṇe vadham | kulasya sadṛśas tūrṇaṃ pratodo gṛhyatāṃ tvayā ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: “Ó filho de um sūta (auriga), não és digno de ser morto em batalha por Pārtha (Arjuna). Toma depressa o chicote—pois isso é o que convém à tua linhagem.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how appeals to lineage and social role are used to deny martial honor, raising an ethical tension in the epic: true worth versus status-based exclusion. It shows how dharma in a warrior context can be distorted by contempt and social prejudice.
A speaker (reported by Vaiśampāyana) dismisses the addressed ‘sūtaputra’ as unworthy of being killed by Arjuna in battle and mocks him by telling him to take up a charioteer’s whip—an insult meant to push him back into a socially assigned occupation rather than the warrior arena.