Shloka 12

Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 3 — Sātyaki on Inner Disposition, Legitimacy, and Coercive Readiness

Devanagari script

अहं तु ताञ्छितैर्बाणैरनुनीय रणे बलात्‌

Transliteration

ahaṃ tu tāñ chitaibāṇair anūnīya raṇe balāt

Translation

Vaiśampāyana nói: “Nhưng ta, giữa chiến địa, đã dùng sức mạnh mà khuất phục họ bằng những mũi tên nhọn.” Câu ấy phơi bày đạo lý nghiệt ngã của chiến tranh kṣatriya: khi chiến trường đòi hỏi sự chế ngự dứt khoát, lời khuyên nhủ phải nhường chỗ cho cưỡng chế.

Word by Word

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• तान्: them
• तान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद्
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• छितैः: with sharp/keen
• छितैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: छित
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• बाणैः: with arrows
• बाणैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाण
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• अनुनीय: having led/induced
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु-नी
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), —, —

• रणे: in battle
• रणे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रण
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• बलात्: by force/forcibly
• बलात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• arrows (bāṇa)
• battle (raṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a dharmic tension: when peaceful means fail or are impossible in war, a warrior may be compelled to restrain opponents through force, yet the stated aim is control/subduing rather than gratuitous cruelty.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker (as reported by Vaiśampāyana) describes an episode of combat in which he overpowers certain opponents, specifically by using sharp arrows to bring them under control on the battlefield.