Shloka 46
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 71 — Kṣatra-dharma Counsel, Public Legitimacy, and Mobilization
हमारे विरोधियोंमें अधिकांश हमारे भाई-बन्धु, सहायक और गुरुजन हैं। उनका वध तो बहुत बड़ा पाप है। युद्धमें अच्छी बात क्या है? (कुछ नहीं) ।।
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | pāpaḥ kṣatriyadharmo ’yaṃ vayaṃ ca kṣatrabandhavaḥ | sa naḥ svadharmo ’dharmaḥ vā vṛttir anyā vigarhitā ||
Wika ni Yudhiṣṭhira: “Ang tungkulin ng kṣatriya na makidigma ay wari’y makasalanan sa aking paningin, at tayo man ay nakagapos sa kaayusang kṣatriya. Gayunman, para sa atin ito ang sariling itinakdang dharma—kahit magmukhang di-matuwid—sapagkat kung iiwan ito at pipili ng ibang kabuhayan kapalit, iyon ay magiging bagay na ikahihiya at ipaparatang.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a classic dharma-conflict: war may appear sinful when it involves killing one’s own kin, yet a kṣatriya is socially and ritually bound to the duty of fighting when required; abandoning that role for another livelihood is portrayed as censurable.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Yudhiṣṭhira voices moral anguish about the coming conflict, acknowledging both the apparent sinfulness of warfare and the pressure of svadharma that compels the Pāṇḍavas toward battle.