Shloka 29

Aśvatthāmā’s Lamentation, Vow of Retaliation, and the Manifestation of the Nārāyaṇāstra (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय १६६)

Devanagari script

तथार्जुनं च राधेयो हनिष्यति महारथ: । भीमसेनमहं चापि युद्धे जेष्यामि दीक्षित:

Transliteration

tathārjunaṃ ca rādheyo haniṣyati mahārathaḥ | bhīmasenam ahaṃ cāpi yuddhe jeṣyāmi dīkṣitaḥ ||

Translation

قال سانجيا: «وكذلك فإنَّ رادْهَيَة (كارنا)، ذلك المحارب العظيم على العربة، سيقتل أرجونا؛ وأنا أيضًا، وقد عقدتُ نذرًا جليلًا، سأغلب بهيماسينا في ساحة القتال».

Word by Word

तथाthus, likewise

अर्जुनम्Arjuna (as object)

चand

राधेयःRādheya (Karna)

हनिष्यतिwill kill

महारथःthe great chariot-warrior

भीमसेनम्Bhīmasena (Bhīma) (as object)

अहम्I

चand

अपिalso, even

युद्धेin battle

जेष्यामिI will conquer/defeat

दीक्षितःinitiated, consecrated (as one under a vow/rite)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Arjuna

Rādheya (Karṇa)

Bhīmasena (Bhīma)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how oath-bound determination (dīkṣā/vow) and warrior pride can harden into lethal intent. It invites reflection on dharma in war: resolve and duty may be praised in a kṣatriya context, yet the same resolve can deepen ethical peril when driven by rivalry and the desire to kill.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports confident battle-proclamations: Karṇa is declared capable of slaying Arjuna, and another warrior-speaker (referred to as “I”) asserts that, having taken a vow, he will defeat Bhīma in the fight. The scene underscores escalating threats and the intensifying stakes on the battlefield.