Shloka 2
Arjuna’s Surrender and Kṛṣṇa’s Instruction on the Imperishable Self, Svadharma, and Karma-Yoga
Bhīṣma-parva 24.0
के पूर्व प्राहरंस्तत्र युद्धे हृदयकम्पने । मामका: पाण्डवेया वा तन्ममाचक्ष्व संजय,संजय! हृदयको कम्पित कर देनेवाले संग्राममें किन्होंने पहले संग्राम किया, मेरे पुत्रोंने या पाण्डवोंने? यह मुझे बताओ
ke pūrvaṃ prāharan tatra yuddhe hṛdayakampane | māmakāḥ pāṇḍaveyā vā tan mamācakṣva sañjaya sañjaya ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra nói: “Trong trận chiến làm tim gan run rẩy ấy, ai ra đòn trước—con trai ta hay các con của Pāṇḍu? Sañjaya, hãy nói cho ta biết.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights moral anxiety around initiating violence: Dhṛtarāṣṭra seeks to know who began the fighting, implying that the first strike carries ethical weight and responsibility in a dharma-centered worldview.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra questions Sañjaya about the opening of the battle—whether the Kauravas (his side) or the Pāṇḍavas struck first—revealing his fear, attachment to his sons, and concern over blame at the outset of war.