Shloka 2
उद्योगपर्व अध्याय १३३ — संजये मातृउपदेशः
Udyoga Parva Adhyaya 133 — A Mother’s Counsel to Saṃjaya
यो हि तेजो यथाशक्ति न दर्शयति विक्रमात् । क्षत्रियो जीविताकाडुक्षी स्तेन इत्येव तं विदु:,जो क्षत्रिय अपने जीवनके लोभसे यथाशक्ति पराक्रम प्रकट करके अपने तेजका परिचय नहीं देता है, उसे सब लोग चोर मानते हैं
yo hi tejo yathāśakti na darśayati vikramāt | kṣatriyo jīvitākāṅkṣī stena ity eva taṃ viduḥ ||
กษัตริย์นักรบ (กษัตริยะ) ผู้ใฝ่รักษาชีวิตตนจนไม่แสดงเดชและความกล้าหาญตามกำลังด้วยการกระทำอันองอาจ ชนทั้งหลายย่อมรู้ว่าเขาเป็นดุจโจรเท่านั้น
पुत्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
A kṣatriya must manifest courage and capability in accordance with his strength; clinging to life at the cost of valor is condemned as a kind of moral theft—stealing honor, duty, and rightful reputation.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war counsel and exhortation, the speaker (the son) articulates a strict warrior ethic: failure to display valor due to fear of death brings social and moral disgrace, equating such conduct with being a ‘thief’ in the eyes of others.