Shloka 11
बभ्रुवाहन-धनंजययोः संग्रामः
Babhruvāhana and Dhanaṃjaya’s engagement at Maṇipūra
यश्न वक्ष्यति संग्रामे तवास्मीति पराजित: । एतच्छुत्वा वचो महां कुरुध्वं हितमात्मन:
yaḥ na vakṣyati saṅgrāme tavāsmīti parājitaḥ | etac chrutvā vaco mahān kurudhvaṃ hitam ātmanaḥ ||
वैशम्पायन उवाच— “यः पराजितः संग्रामे ‘तवास्मि’ इति न वक्ष्यति, स ममैतद् महद् वचः श्रुत्वा स्वात्मनः हितं कुरुत।”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic: once a defeated opponent acknowledges submission (“I am yours”), the proper course is restraint and protection rather than further violence, and one should act with an eye to true self-interest aligned with dharma.
Vaiśaṃpāyana reports a proclamation concerning conduct in combat: defeated fighters are expected to declare surrender, and upon hearing this authoritative instruction, the warriors are told to choose the course that best serves their welfare.