Shloka 71

Devanagari script

नैवाहितानां सततं विपद्षित: क्षणं प्रतीक्षन्त्यपि दुर्बलीयसाम्‌ । विशेषतो<रीन्‌ व्यसनेषु पण्डितो निहत्य धर्म च यशश्न विन्दते

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

naivāhitānāṃ satataṃ vipatsthitaḥ kṣaṇaṃ pratīkṣanty api durbalīyasām |

viśeṣato 'rīn vyasaneṣu paṇḍito nihatya dharmaṃ ca yaśaś ca vindate ||

Translation

دانشمند لوگ دشمنوں کے خاتمے کے لیے—خواہ وہ کتنے ہی کمزور کیوں نہ ہوں—ایک لمحہ بھی موقع کی تاک میں نہیں رہتے۔ خصوصاً مصیبت میں پڑے ہوئے دشمنوں کو مار کر صاحبِ بصیرت آدمی دھرم اور یَش—دونوں کا حق دار سمجھا جاتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• {'sañjaya uvāca': 'Sanjaya said', 'na eva': 'not at all

• by no means', 'āhitānām': 'of those who are set against (as enemies)

• hostile persons', 'satataṃ': 'always

• continually', 'vipat-sthitaḥ / vipatsthitaḥ': 'being in misfortune

• situated in calamity', 'kṣaṇam': 'a moment', 'pratīkṣanti': 'they wait for

• they look for (an opportunity)', 'api': 'even', 'durbalīyasām': 'of the weaker

• of very weak (enemies)', 'viśeṣataḥ': 'especially

• in particular', 'arīn': 'enemies (accusative plural of ari)', 'vyasaneṣu': 'in distresses

• in calamities (locative plural)', 'paṇḍitaḥ': 'a wise man

• a discerning person', 'nihatya': 'having slain

• having struck down', 'dharmaṃ': 'dharma

• righteous order', 'yaśaḥ': 'fame

• glory', 'vindate': 'obtains

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse presents a hard-edged kṣatriya/political ethic: a wise warrior does not delay in neutralizing enemies, and considers the decisive elimination of foes—especially when they are already in adversity—as a means to secure dharma (the perceived right course for protection and order) and yaśas (renown).

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya, narrating the battlefield events to Dhritarashtra, articulates a principle of wartime conduct and strategy: do not wait for opportunities when dealing with enemies; act swiftly, even against weakened opponents, and such action is framed as bringing both righteousness (as understood in the warrior context) and fame.