विरथः स तु धर्मात्मा धनुष्पाणिर् अवस्थितः ॥
अयोधयत् तव सुतं किरञ् शरशतान् बहून् ॥
क्षुरप्रेण धनुस् तस्य चिच्छेद कृतहस्तवत् ॥
अथैनं दशभिर् भल्लैश् छिन्नधन्वानम् आर्दयत् ॥
तं दृष्ट्वा विरथं तत्र भ्रातरो ऽस्य महारथाः ॥
अन्ववर्तन्त वेगेन महत्या सेनया सह ॥
आप्लुतः स ततो यानं सुतसोमस्य भास्वरम् ॥
धनुर् गृह्य महाराज विव्याध तनयं तव ॥
virathaḥ sa tu dharmātmā dhanuṣpāṇir avasthitaḥ ||
ayodhayat tava sutaṃ kirañ śaraśatān bahūn ||
kṣurapreṇa dhanus tasya ciccheda kṛtahastavat ||
athainaṃ daśabhir bhallaiś chinnadhanvānam ārdayat ||
taṃ dṛṣṭvā virathaṃ tatra bhrātaro 'sya mahārathāḥ ||
anvavartanta vegena mahatyā senayā saha ||
āplutaḥ sa tato yānaṃ sutasomasya bhāsvaram ||
dhanur gṛhya mahārāja vivyādha tanayaṃ tava ||
And he, without a chariot, righteous, stood with a bow in hand, fought with your son, scattering many hundreds of arrows. With a razor-headed arrow he [Duhshasana] cut down his bow, skillfully; then he struck him, weaponless, with ten broad-headed arrows. Seeing him there without a chariot, his brothers, great warriors, rushed after headlong together with a great army. Then he [Prativindhya] leapt onto the resplendent chariot of Sutasoma and, taking up a bow, O great king, pierced your son.
5583fe738688 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:49:34 PM UTC
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Prativindhya, "righteous," fights on foot, deprived of his chariot, without thought of retreat, until his brothers come to his aid. It is notable that the epithet "dharmatma" — righteous of soul — is applied to a warrior in the very thick of the slaughter: piety and battle are not at odds here. The verse teaches that faithfulness to duty shows itself in steadfastness: the righteous man does not abandon the field when his supports are lost; and the mutual rescue of brothers is that living fabric of kinship for whose sake, in truth, this bitter war is being waged.