Shloka 13
अध्याय १ — न्यग्रोधवनोपवेशनम् तथा द्रौणिनिश्चयः
Night at the Banyan and Drauṇi’s Resolve
अज्ञाप्य पृथिवीं सर्वा स्थित्वा मूर्थ्नि च संजय । कथमद्य भविष्यामि प्रेष्यभूतो दुरन्तकृत्
ājñāpya pṛthivīṃ sarvāṃ sthitvā mūrdhni ca sañjaya | katham adya bhaviṣyāmi preṣyabhūto durantakṛt ||
قال سنجيا: «لقد أصدرتُ الأوامر على الأرض كلها، ووقفتُ بقدمي على رؤوس الآخرين؛ فكيف أكون اليوم—وقد صرتُ مجرد رسولٍ وساعٍ—بعد أن اقترفتُ أفعالًا عسيرةَ الرجوع عنها؟»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power and domination are unstable foundations: actions done in arrogance and cruelty can swiftly invert one’s status, turning a ruler into a dependent. The verse highlights moral causality—harmful deeds create consequences that are difficult to reverse.
In the aftermath of catastrophic events, the speaker reflects on a reversal of fortune: once commanding the whole realm and humiliating others, he now foresees being forced into servitude or menial dependence, recognizing the weight of his own irreversible actions.