Shloka 29
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 28: Dharmādharmalakṣaṇa in Āpad
Crisis-Discernment of Right and Wrong
यदा गृध्येत् परभूतौ नृशंसो विधिप्रकोपाद् बलमाददान: । ततो राज्ञामभवद् युद्धमेतत् तत्र जात॑ वर्म शस्त्र धनुश्च
yadā gṛdhyet parabhūtau nṛśaṁso vidhiprakopād balam ādadānaḥ | tato rājñām abhavad yuddham etat tatra jātaṁ varma śastra dhanuś ca ||
Quando um homem implacável cobiça a riqueza alheia e, impelido pela ira do destino, começa a ajuntar força para oprimir, então, entre os reis, surge a ocasião da guerra. Para essa mesma guerra vieram a existir a armadura, as armas e o arco—instrumentos nascidos do conflito e da cobiça que o provoca.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
War is portrayed as arising when ruthless greed targets another’s wealth and power is amassed for oppression; weapons and armor are thus framed as products of moral failure and conflict rather than ideals in themselves.
Vāyudeva explains to the listener(s) a causal chain: covetousness and cruelty lead a person to gather an army under the pressure of destiny’s wrath, which then creates a situation where kings go to war; the verse concludes by linking the very invention/appearance of martial equipment to such warfare.