Shloka 5
Kṛṣṇasya Karṇam Prati Sāntvavacana
Kṛṣṇa’s Conciliatory Address to Karṇa
तं च पुत्रात् प्रियतमं प्रतियोत्स्ये धनंजयम् । क्षात्रं धर्ममनुष्ठाय धिगस्तु क्षत्रजीविकाम्
taṁ ca putrāt priyatamaṁ pratiyotsye dhanañjayam | kṣātraṁ dharmam anuṣṭhāya dhig astu kṣatrajīvikām ||
At kailangan kong labanan si Dhanañjaya—na higit pang mahal sa akin kaysa sarili kong anak—habang tinutupad ang dharma ng mandirigma. Sumpain ang kabuhayan ng kṣatriya! Sapagkat sa ngalan ng dharma, pinipilit nitong makipagdigma kahit sa mga pinakamamahal.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tragic tension within dharma: a Kṣatriya’s obligation to uphold warrior-duty can force one into violence even against those one loves most, prompting moral revulsion toward a life bound to such compulsory conflict.
Bhīṣma speaks of the impending war and laments that he will have to fight Arjuna (Dhanañjaya), whom he cherishes more than his own son, because he is bound to act according to kṣātra-dharma.