Shloka 323
अध्याय ९ — धृतराष्ट्रस्य युधिष्ठिरं प्रति राजनित्युपदेशः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel on Royal Policy to Yudhiṣṭhira
कर्तव्यं निधन काले मर्तव्यं क्षत्रबन्धुना । “नरेश्वर! ऐसा विकट संहार दैवीशक्तिके बिना कदापि नहीं हो सकता था। अवश्य ही संग्राममें मनुष्यको विशेषत: क्षत्रियको समयानुसार शत्रुओंका संहार एवं प्राणोत्सर्ग करना चाहिये
kartavyaṁ nidhana-kāle martavyaṁ kṣatra-bandhunā |
毗湿摩波耶那说道：“临死之时，刹帝利当行其所当行；即便只是‘刹帝利之亲’者，也须准备赴死。如此惨烈的屠戮，若无神力，决不可能发生。因此在战场上，人——尤其是武士——应随其时、因其势，诛灭仇敌；若有必要，亦当舍弃自身性命。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores kṣatriya-dharma: in the face of death and in battle, a warrior must act according to duty—ready both to strike down enemies when warranted and to relinquish life when the situation demands—while recognizing that catastrophic outcomes may also reflect divine agency beyond human control.
Vaiśampāyana comments on the enormity of the slaughter, attributing its scale to divine power, and frames the event within the moral code of warfare: for warriors, timely combat, enemy-destruction, and even self-sacrifice are presented as appropriate conduct.