ह्रियमाणे धने तस्मिन् ब्राह्मणस्य तपस्विनः ॥
अश्रुप्रमार्जनं तस्य कर्तव्यम् इति निश्चितः ॥
उपप्रेक्षणजो ऽधर्मः सुमहान् स्यान् महीपतेः ॥
यद्य् अस्य रुदतो द्वारि न करोम्य् अद्य रक्षणम् ॥
अनास्तिक्यं च सर्वेषाम् अस्माकम् अपि रक्षणे ॥
प्रतितिष्ठेत लोके ऽस्मिन्न् अधर्मश् चैव नो भवेत् ॥
hriyamāṇe dhane tasmin brāhmaṇasya tapasvinaḥ ||
aśrupramārjanaṃ tasya kartavyam iti niścitaḥ ||
upaprekṣaṇajo 'dharmaḥ sumahān syān mahīpateḥ ||
yady asya rudato dvāri na karomy adya rakṣaṇam ||
anāstikyaṃ ca sarveṣām asmākam api rakṣaṇe ||
pratitiṣṭheta loke 'sminn adharmaś caiva no bhavet ||
Arjuna thought: "When the wealth of the ascetic brahmin is being carried off, the wiping away of his tears must be done by me. From indifference a very great unrighteousness would fall upon the king, if I do not now grant protection to him weeping at the door; and disbelief in all of us, in our capacity for protection, would become established in this world, and unrighteousness would be ours."
a0e9966abd82 · published Jul 12, 2026, 6:01:16 PM UTC
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Here the duty to protect the defenseless is placed foremost. It is telling that Arjuna fears "indifference": failing to grant protection is itself unrighteousness, and one that undermines trust in the king besides. Inaction before another's misfortune is a fault no lesser than wrongdoing. Thus scripture shows the height of Arjuna's sense of duty; and concern for the people's trust in protection moves him.