Shloka 52
युधिछिर उवाच इष्वस्त्रमेषां देवत्वं यज्ञ एषां सतामिव । भयं वै मानुषो भाव: परित्यागोडसतामिव
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | iṣv-astram eṣāṁ devatvaṁ yajña eṣāṁ satām iva | bhayaṁ vai mānuṣo bhāvaḥ parityāgo ’satām iva ||
युधिष्ठिर उवाच—इष्वस्त्रमेषां देवत्वं यज्ञ एषां सतामिव। भयं वै मानुषो भावः परित्यागोऽसतामिव॥
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A kṣatriya’s true ‘divinity’ is disciplined martial skill used in service of dharma; fear may arise naturally, but abandoning those who seek protection—especially the distressed—is condemned as unrighteous conduct.
Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a moral standard for warriors: their vocation includes sacrifice-like duty and the obligation to protect the vulnerable; he contrasts understandable human fear with the unacceptable act of forsaking those who have taken refuge.