Shloka 34
बभ्रुवाहन-धनंजययोः संग्रामः
Babhruvāhana and Dhanaṃjaya’s engagement at Maṇipūra
स्वसारं समवेक्षस्व स्वस्रनीयात्मजमेव च । कर्तुमर्हसि धर्मज्ञ दयां कुरु कुलोद्ह
svāsāraṃ samavekṣasva svasr̥nīyātmajam eva ca | kartum arhasi dharmajña dayāṃ kuru kulodvaha ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: “Lingunin mo ang sarili mong kapatid na babae, at pati ang apo ng iyong kapatid. Ikaw na nakakabatid ng dharma at pangunahing tagapagdala ng iyong angkan, nararapat na kumilos nang may habag—ipamalas ang awa.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is not only justice and rule-keeping but also compassionate discernment: a righteous person, especially a guardian of the family line, should temper power with mercy—particularly toward vulnerable kin.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, an appeal is voiced to a dharma-knowing Kuru noble: he is urged to look upon his suffering sister and her descendant and to act mercifully, framing the request as both ethical duty and responsibility as a ‘kulodvaha’ (upholder of the lineage).