Mahabharata 9.46.63 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 46, Shloka 63
Varuṇābhiṣeka–Agni-anveṣaṇa–Kaubera-tīrtha
Varuṇa’s Consecration; Search for Agni; Kaubera Sacred Site
स निर्ययौ महासेनो महत्या सेनया वृतः । वधाय युधि दैत्यानां रक्षार्थ च दिवौकसाम्,तत्पश्चात् विशाल सेनासे घिरे हुए स्वामी महासेन युद्धमें दैत्योंका वध और देवताओंकी रक्षा करनेके लिये आगे बढ़े
sa niryayau mahāseno mahatyā senayā vṛtaḥ | vadhāya yudhi daityānāṃ rakṣārthaṃ ca divaukasām ||
Disse Vaiśampāyana: Então Mahāsena avançou, cercado por um vasto exército, entrando no campo de batalha com um propósito claro — destruir os Daityas no combate e proteger os habitantes do céu. O verso enquadra a guerra aqui como uma intervenção ditada pelo dever: a força não é tomada por conquista, mas para salvaguardar a ordem justa e os vulneráveis.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents warfare as ethically conditioned: action in battle is justified when it is undertaken for protection (rakṣā) and the restoration of right order, not for personal gain. The stated aims—destroying aggressors (Daityas) and safeguarding the heavenly beings—frame violence as a duty-bound, purpose-limited act.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Mahāsena advances into battle, surrounded by a large force. His mission is explicitly twofold: to slay the Daityas in combat and to protect the divaukas—those who dwell in heaven (the gods).
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