Shloka 503
अध्याय १ — न्यग्रोधवनोपवेशनम् तथा द्रौणिनिश्चयः
Night at the Banyan and Drauṇi’s Resolve
कर्तव्यं तन्मनुष्येण क्षत्रधर्मेण वर्तता । “इस लोकमें जिस कार्यको गर्हणीय समझा जाता हो
kartavyaṁ tanmanuṣyeṇa kṣatradharmeṇa vartatā |
सञ्जय उवाच— कर्तव्यं तन्मनुष्येण क्षत्रधर्मेण वर्तता। लोके गर्हितं यत् कर्म सर्वैः परिनिन्दितं भवेत्, तदपि क्षत्रधर्मानुवर्तिनः पुरुषस्य कर्तव्यमिति मन्यते।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts that within kṣatriya-dharma, an act may be deemed obligatory even when ordinary social morality condemns it; duty is being defined by one’s role-based dharma rather than by public approval.
In the Sauptika Parva’s opening context, Sañjaya is describing a grim wartime rationale: actions taken under the warrior code are being presented as ‘duty’ even when they appear reprehensible to the wider world.