Shloka 19

Devanagari script

अहं तु प्रद्वते पूर्व प्रहरिष्पामि तेडनघ । इति मे वर्तते बुद्धिस्तद्‌ भवान्‌ कर्तुमहति,“आचार्य! युद्धमें आपपर विजय पाना सर्वथा कठिन है। हमलोग बहुत वर्षोतक वनमें रहकर कष्ट उठाते रहे हैं। अब शत्रुओंसे बदला लेनेकी इच्छासे आये हैं; अतः आप हमलोगोंपर क्रोध न करें। अनघ! मैं तो आपपर तभी प्रहार करूँगा, जब पहले आप मुझपर प्रहार कर लेंगे। मेरा यही निश्चय है, अत: आप ही पहले मुझपर प्रहार करें”

Transliteration

ahaṃ tu pradvatē pūrvaṃ prahariṣyāmi te 'nagha | iti me vartate buddhis tad bhavān kartum arhati ||

Translation

毗湿摩波耶那说：“然而，无垢者啊，我必待你先出手之后，方才出手。此念在我心中已定；故请尊者行其所当——先击我。”此言使战斗不再是盲目的凶猛，而是一种自我设限的伦理克制：即便战事不可避免，说话者亦不愿对所敬之人先启杀伐。

Word by Word

अहम्I

तुbut/indeed

प्रद्वतेto the assailant/attacker

पूर्वम्first/beforehand

प्रहरिष्यामिI will strike/attack

माdo not

इतिthus/so

मेof me/my

वर्ततेexists/prevails (is)

बुद्धिःintention/resolve

तत्that (thing/resolve)

भवान्you (honorific)

कर्तुम्to do

अर्हतिis fit/ought

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in warfare, one may bind oneself to ethical restraint: the speaker refuses to be the initiator of violence against a respected, ‘blameless’ opponent, emphasizing honor, self-control, and dharmic conduct amid conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the course of a battle episode narrated by Vaiśampāyana, a combatant declares a firm resolve: he will not strike first and will retaliate only after the other party attacks, urging the opponent to make the first move.