Shloka 5

अध्याय ५०: उत्तरेण सह अर्जुनस्य रथप्रयाणे ध्वजचिह्नैः कौरवसेनानिर्देशः

Arjuna directs Uttara by identifying Kaurava commanders through banners

Devanagari script

अधीत्य ब्राह्मणो वेदान्‌ याजयेत यजेत वा | क्षत्रियो धनुराश्रित्य यजेच्चैव न याजयेत्‌,ब्राह्मण वेदोंको पढ़कर यज्ञ करावे अथवा करे। क्षत्रिय धनुषका आश्रय लेकर धन कमाये और यज्ञ करे; परंतु वह दूसरोंका यज्ञ न करावे (क्योंकि यह काम ब्राह्मणोंका है)

Transliteration

adhītya brāhmaṇo vedān yājayet yajeta vā | kṣatriyo dhanur āśritya yajec caiva na yājayet ||

Translation

Sinabi ni Kṛpa: “Pagkatapos pag-aralan ang Veda, ang brāhmaṇa ay dapat magsagawa ng handog na sakripisyo para sa sarili o maging pari na namumuno sa sakripisyo para sa iba. Ang kṣatriya, na umaasa sa busog—ibig sabihin, sa tungkuling pandigma at sa kapangyarihang magtanggol—ay dapat magsagawa ng sakripisyo para sa sarili, ngunit hindi dapat gumanap bilang pari para sa sakripisyo ng iba, sapagkat ang tungkuling iyon ay para sa mga brāhmaṇa.”

Word by Word

अधीत्यhaving studied

ब्राह्मणःa Brahmin

वेदान्the Vedas

याजयेत्should cause (others) to sacrifice / officiate

यजेतshould sacrifice

वाor

क्षत्रियःa Kshatriya

धनुःbow

आश्रित्यhaving resorted to / relying on

यजेत्should sacrifice

चand

एवindeed / only

नnot

याजयेत्should not cause (others) to sacrifice / should not officiate

Speaker

कृप उवाच

Characters & Entities

Kṛpa

Brāhmaṇa

Kṣatriya

Vedas

Bow (dhanuḥ)

Yajña (sacrifice)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse distinguishes duties by varṇa: a brāhmaṇa, grounded in Vedic study, may perform sacrifices and also officiate for others; a kṣatriya should perform sacrifices for himself but should not assume the priestly role of conducting rites for others.

What is happening in the narrative?

Kṛpa states a normative rule about proper social and ritual conduct, emphasizing that priestly officiation (yājana) is the domain of brāhmaṇas, while kṣatriyas should adhere to their martial vocation symbolized by reliance on the bow.