Shloka 5
अर्जुनस्य युधिष्ठिरं प्रति क्षात्रधर्मोपदेशः | Arjuna’s Counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira on Kṣatra-Dharma
क्षात्रधर्मो महारौद्र: शस्त्रनित्य इति स्मृतः । वधश्च भरतश्रेष्ठ काले शस्त्रेण संयुगे,“भरतश्रेष्ठ! क्षत्रियोंका धर्म बड़ा भयंकर है। उसमें सदा शस्त्रसे ही काम पड़ता है और समय आनेपर युद्धमें शस्त्रद्वारा उनका वध भी हो जाता है (अत: उनके लिये शोक करनेका कोई कारण नहीं है)
kṣātradharmo mahāraudraḥ śastranitya iti smṛtaḥ | vadhaś ca bharataśreṣṭha kāle śastreṇa saṃyuge ||
Disse Vaiśampāyana: “Ó melhor dos Bhāratas, o dharma do kṣatriya é lembrado como extremamente feroz, sempre ligado às armas. E quando chega o tempo, no choque da batalha, a morte também ocorre pelas armas. Por isso, para os que vivem segundo esta lei das armas, o luto não tem fundamento apropriado.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames kṣatriya-dharma as inherently tied to armed conflict: a warrior’s life involves weapons, and death by weapons in battle is a foreseeable, time-bound outcome. Hence, excessive grief over such deaths is presented as misplaced when viewed through the lens of that duty.
Vaiśampāyana addresses a Bharata prince/descendant, explaining the harsh nature of the warrior code. He emphasizes that battle and weapon-death are integral to the kṣatriya’s ordained role, offering a rationale meant to steady the listener’s mind against lamentation.