Shloka 7
भीष्म–दुर्योधनसंवादः — शिखण्डिनं न हन्तुं कारणकथनम्
Amba-ākhyāna prologue
क्षत्रधर्मा तु राजेन्द्र मतो मे<र्थरथो नृप । धृष्टद्युम्नस्य तनयो बाल्यान्नातिकृतश्रम:
kṣatradharmā tu rājendra mato me 'rtharatho nṛpa | dhṛṣṭadyumnasya tanayo bālyān nātikṛtaśramaḥ ||
Bhishma disse: “Ó melhor dos reis, a meu ver Kṣatradharmā, filho de Dhṛṣṭadyumna, é apenas um ardharatha, um guerreiro de carro ainda meio treinado. Por estar na infância, não se empenhou muito nas disciplinas das armas; assim, sua firmeza no dharma kṣatriya e sua perícia no campo de batalha ainda não amadureceram por completo.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma emphasizes that kṣatriya-dharma is not merely a birth-based identity but a discipline proven through training and exertion; youth and insufficient practice limit one’s battlefield competence and thus one’s effective fulfillment of warrior duty.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Bhīṣma is evaluating combatants for the king, judging Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s son to be only an ardharatha—still young and not yet thoroughly trained in weaponry—thereby advising on relative strength and preparedness.