Shloka 35
विरथं धर्मराजं तु दृष्टवा सुदृढविक्षतम् | शिखण्डिनं सात्यकिं च धृष्टद्युम्नं च पार्षतम्
virathaṃ dharmarājaṃ tu dṛṣṭvā sudṛḍha-vikṣatam | śikhaṇḍinaṃ sātyakiṃ ca dhṛṣṭadyumnaṃ ca pārṣatam ||
Arjuna disse: “Ao ver o rei Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira) privado de seu carro e gravemente ferido—e ao contemplar também Śikhaṇḍin, Sātyaki e Dhṛṣṭadyumna, filho de Pṛṣata, abatidos—minha ira foi acesa. Tais cenas não podem ser suportadas; a afronta e as feridas infligidas ao rei justo e a seus aliados exigem resposta no combate.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the kṣatriya ethic of protecting the righteous king and one’s comrades: witnessing grievous harm to Dharmarāja and key allies becomes a moral trigger for decisive action. It also highlights how battlefield emotion (krodha) arises from perceived adharma—humiliation and injury of the just—and must be disciplined into duty rather than mere vengeance.
Arjuna speaks after seeing Yudhiṣṭhira rendered chariotless and badly wounded, along with prominent Pāṇḍava-side warriors (Śikhaṇḍin, Sātyaki, and Dhṛṣṭadyumna) injured. This sight provokes Arjuna’s fierce resolve to confront the opposing force and respond to the setback on the battlefield.