Shloka 283
Adhyāya 41 — Kṛṣṇa’s Battlefield Briefing and the Renewal of the Great Engagement
हन्यामहं तादृशानां शतानि क्षमाम्यहं क्षमया कालयोगात् | “जो अप्रिय, निष्ठुर, क्षुद्र हृदय और क्षमाशून्य मनुष्य क्षमाशील पुरुषोंकी निन््दा करता है; ऐसे सौ-सौ मनुष्योंका मैं वध कर सकता हूँ; परंतु कालयोगसे क्षमाभावद्वारा मैं यह सब कुछ सह लेता हूँ
hanyām ahaṃ tādṛśānāṃ śatāni kṣamāmy ahaṃ kṣamayā kālayogāt |
Sañjaya disse: «Eu poderia matar centenas de homens desse tipo; contudo, pela disciplina da tolerância—e porque o kāla-yoga, a ordenação do tempo e das circunstâncias, assim determina—eu suporto tudo. Quando pessoas ásperas, de coração mesquinho e sem perdão insultam os pacientes, o paciente pode ter poder para retaliar, mas escolhe a contenção, reconhecendo a ordem maior que governa os acontecimentos.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts capability with restraint: even if one has the strength to punish cruelty and ingratitude, true ethical strength is to endure and forgive when guided by kṣamā (forbearance) and an awareness of kāla-yoga—the larger timing and order of events.
Sañjaya, narrating events and sentiments from the battlefield context, voices a reflection on how patient people are often criticized by harsh and unforgiving persons; he notes that he could retaliate violently, yet he chooses to bear it, attributing this restraint to forbearance and the compulsion of time and circumstance.