Shloka 5
Kṛṣṇasya Karṇam Prati Sāntvavacana
Kṛṣṇa’s Conciliatory Address to Karṇa
तं च पुत्रात् प्रियतमं प्रतियोत्स्ये धनंजयम् । क्षात्रं धर्ममनुष्ठाय धिगस्तु क्षत्रजीविकाम्
taṁ ca putrāt priyatamaṁ pratiyotsye dhanañjayam | kṣātraṁ dharmam anuṣṭhāya dhig astu kṣatrajīvikām ||
而我还必须在履行刹帝利之法时，与檀那阇耶——那位比我亲子更为我所钟爱的人——交战。刹帝利的生计真该受诅咒！因为它以达摩之名，竟迫使人去与最挚爱者兵戎相向。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tragic tension within dharma: a Kṣatriya’s obligation to uphold warrior-duty can force one into violence even against those one loves most, prompting moral revulsion toward a life bound to such compulsory conflict.
Bhīṣma speaks of the impending war and laments that he will have to fight Arjuna (Dhanañjaya), whom he cherishes more than his own son, because he is bound to act according to kṣātra-dharma.