Shloka 102

भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ११०: पार्थभीमयोः प्रहारः तथा भीष्माभिमुखं संग्रामविस्तारः

Arjuna and Bhima’s pressure; escalation toward Bhishma

Devanagari script

शाश्वतो<यं स्थितो धर्म: क्षत्रियाणां धनंजय । योद्धव्यं रक्षितव्यं च यष्टव्यं चानसूयुभि:,धनंजय! यह क्षत्रियोंका निश्चित सनातन धर्म है। उन्हें किसीके प्रति दोषदृष्टि न रखकर सदा युद्ध, प्रजाओंकी रक्षा और यज्ञ करते रहने चाहिये

Transliteration

śāśvato ’yaṃ sthito dharmaḥ kṣatriyāṇāṃ dhanaṃjaya | yoddhavyaṃ rakṣitavyaṃ ca yaṣṭavyaṃ cān asūyubhiḥ ||

Translation

வாயு கூறினார்—ஓ தனஞ்சயா, இதுவே க்ஷத்திரியர்களின் நிலைபெற்ற நித்திய தர்மம்: யாரிடமும் பகைமையோ குற்றம் காணும் மனமோ இன்றி, கடமை அழைக்கும் போது போரிட வேண்டும்; குடிகளைப் பாதுகாக்க வேண்டும்; யாக யஜ்ஞங்களை இடையறாது நடத்த வேண்டும்।

Word by Word

शाश्वतःeternal, perpetual

अयम्this

स्थितःestablished, fixed

धर्मःduty, dharma

क्षत्रियाणाम्of the Kshatriyas

धनंजयO Dhananjaya (Arjuna)

योद्धव्यम्one must fight / fighting is to be done

रक्षितव्यम्one must protect / protection is to be done

चand

यष्टव्यम्one must sacrifice / perform yajña

चand

अनसूयुभिःby the non-censorious / without fault-finding

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyudeva

Dhanañjaya (Arjuna)

Kṣatriyas

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse defines kṣatriya-dharma as a threefold obligation—fight when righteousness requires it, protect the people, and sustain sacred order through sacrifice—while maintaining a mind free from envy or censorious blame (an-asūyā).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva addresses Arjuna (Dhanañjaya), instructing him on the established warrior code: disciplined engagement in battle, guardianship of subjects, and continued ritual responsibility, framed as an eternal, settled dharma.