Mahabharata 3.120.9 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 120, Shloka 9
Sātyaki’s Call for Intervention and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Vow-Bound Restraint (सात्यकिवाक्यं—धर्मराजस्य धैर्यनिश्चयः)
कायाच्छिर: सर्पविषाग्निकल्पै: शरोत्तमैरुन्मथितास्मि राम । खड्गेन चाहं निशितेन संख्ये कायाच्छिरस्तस्य बलात् प्रमथ्य
kāyāc chiraḥ sarpaviṣāgnikalpaiḥ śarottamair unmathitāsmi rāma | khaḍgena cāhaṃ niśitena saṅkhye kāyāc chiras tasya balāt pramathya ||
พระพลรามตรัสว่า “โอ้รามะ กายและเศียรของเราถูกศรอันประเสริฐฉีกกระชากและสั่นสะเทือน ดุจงู พิษ และไฟอันน่าสะพรึง; กระนั้นในท่ามกลางยุทธ เราจักใช้พระขรรค์อันคม บีบคั้นด้วยกำลัง ฉุดเศียรของมันให้หลุดจากกาย แล้วฟันให้ตกลงสู่พื้น”
बलदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the kṣatriya ideal of steadfastness under injury: even when struck by fearsome weapons, the warrior maintains resolve and answers aggression with decisive force. Ethically, it reflects the epic’s martial code—courage and retaliation within the battlefield context—rather than a universal endorsement of violence.
Baladeva addresses Rāma, describing how he is being battered by deadly arrows likened to serpents, poison, and fire. He then vows that in the ensuing fight he will use his sharp sword to forcibly sever the enemy’s head from the body, asserting imminent counterattack and dominance in combat.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.