Shloka 11
Bhārata-varṣa-varṇana
Description of Bhārata: Mountains, Rivers, and Janapadas
वरार्हा युधि जायन्ते क्षत्रिया: शूरसत्तमा: । त्रेतायां क्षत्रिया राजन् सर्वे वै चक्रवर्तिन:
sañjaya uvāca | varārhā yudhi jāyante kṣatriyāḥ śūrasattamāḥ | tretāyāṃ kṣatriyā rājan sarve vai cakravartinaḥ |
三阇耶说道：“大王，在战阵之中诞生最卓绝的英雄——那些刹帝利，堪受恩赐与荣誉。并且在特雷塔时代，大王，刹帝利皆确为转轮圣王（cakravartin），统御四方。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links true kṣatriya excellence with worthiness for honor and responsibility: the highest warriors are those fit to receive boons and to uphold order. By invoking the Tretā age of cakravartins, it contrasts an idealized past of righteous, capable rulers with the present decline, implying that power should be guided by dharma.
Sañjaya, reporting to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, describes the qualities and stature of kṣatriyas across ages. He praises the archetype of heroic warriors and notes that in the Tretā-yuga kṣatriyas were universal sovereigns, setting a moral-historical frame for the impending Kurukṣetra war.