Shloka 50

Rātri-yuddhe Droṇasya prahāraḥ — Bhīmasenasya dhārtarāṣṭra-śūrānām nigrahaḥ

Night Battle: Droṇa’s Assault and Bhīma’s Suppression of Dhārtarāṣṭra Warriors

Devanagari script

कच्चित्‌ स सैन्धवं संख्ये हनिष्यति धनंजय: । कच्चित्‌ तीर्णप्रतिज्ञं हि वासुदेवेन रक्षितम्‌

Transliteration

kaccit sa saindhavaṁ saṅkhye haniṣyati dhanañjayaḥ | kaccit tīrṇa-pratijñaṁ hi vāsudevena rakṣitam ||

Translation

قال سانجيا: «أترى دهننجايا (أرجونا) يقتل حقًّا أمير السِّندهو في غمار القتال؟ أترى يفي بنذره الجليل—وهو في حماية فاسوديفا (كريشنا)؟»

Word by Word

कच्चित्whether indeed? (I hope)

सःhe

सैन्धवम्the Sindhu-king (Jayadratha)

संख्येin battle

हनिष्यतिwill kill

धनंजयःDhanañjaya (Arjuna)

कच्चित्whether indeed? (I hope)

तीर्ण-प्रतिज्ञम्one whose vow has been fulfilled / who has crossed (i.e., accomplished) his vow

हिindeed, for

वासुदेवेनby Vāsudeva (Krishna)

रक्षितम्protected

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhanañjaya (Arjuna)

Saindhava (Jayadratha)

Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa)

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?

The verse highlights the ethical weight of a warrior’s vow (pratijñā) and the ideal that steadfast human effort, when aligned with dharma, is strengthened by divine guidance and protection (Vāsudeva).

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya, reporting to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, anxiously wonders whether Arjuna will succeed in killing Jayadratha in battle and thereby complete his vowed objective, especially under Kṛṣṇa’s protective support.