Shloka 18
Abhimanyu’s Śrāddha; Vyāsa’s Assurance of the Unborn Heir (अभिमन्योः श्राद्धं तथा गर्भरक्षणोपदेशः)
एको होकेन सतत युध्यमाने यदि प्रभो
eko hokena satata yudhyamāne yadi prabho
Sinabi ni Vaiśaṃpāyana: “O panginoon, kung may isang tao na natatagpuang walang tigil na nakikipaglaban…,”—isang pahayag na naglalatag ng tensiyong moral sa pagitan ng nag-iisang kagitingan at ng walang humpay na hinihingi ng digmaan, at nagpapahiwatig na kahit ang matiyagang kabayanihan ay dapat timbangin ayon sa dharma.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The line foregrounds a dharmic question: continuous fighting and solitary heroism are not automatically virtuous; they must be evaluated in light of rightful purpose, proportionality, and the broader moral order that governs warfare.
Vaiśaṃpāyana, as narrator, introduces or continues a conditional statement addressed to a ‘lord’ (prabho), setting up a discussion about a situation where a single warrior is constantly engaged in combat—likely as a prelude to judging conduct, outcome, or duty in that scenario.