Shloka 16
Udyoga Parva Adhyāya 132 — Vidura’s Counsel on Udyama, Yaśas, and Kṣātra-Dharma
कृत्वा मानुष्यकं कर्म सृत्वाजिं यावदुत्तमम् । धर्मस्यानृण्यमाप्रोति न चात्मानं विगर्हते
kṛtvā mānuṣyakaṃ karma sṛtvājiṃ yāvad uttamam | dharmasyānṛṇyam āpnoti na cātmānaṃ vigarhate ||
Tendo cumprido o dever próprio de um ser humano—entrando na batalha e esforçando-se até o limite de suas forças, exibindo o mais alto empenho varonil—um homem heroico se liberta da dívida que deve ao dharma e não incorre em auto-reprovação.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should perform one’s rightful human duty with full effort; by acting up to one’s capacity in a righteous cause, a person becomes free of obligation to dharma and avoids the inner stain of self-reproach.
Vāyudeva is instructing about the ethical value of courageous action in battle: a hero who enters combat and strives to the utmost fulfills dharma’s claim upon him and preserves his honor and self-respect.