Shloka 16
द्रोणानीक-व्यतिक्रमः — Kṛṣṇa–Arjuna Break Through Droṇa’s Array
अथ रक्षा न मे संख्ये क्रियते कुरुनन्दन । अनुजानीहि मां राजन् गमिष्यामि गृहान् प्रति,“कुरुनन्दन! यदि आप युद्धमें मेरी रक्षा न कर सकें तो मुझे आज्ञा दें; राजन! मैं अपने घर चला जाऊँगा
atha rakṣā na me saṅkhye kriyate kurunandana | anujānīhi māṃ rājan gamiṣyāmi gṛhān prati ||
Sañjaya sprach: «O Freude der Kurus, wenn ihr in dieser Schlacht meinen Schutz nicht gewährleisten könnt, so gewährt mir Urlaub, o König; ich werde heimwärts gehen.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic expectation of kingship: a ruler’s foremost obligation in war is to provide protection to those under his charge. When that protective duty fails, loyalty is strained and even a close attendant may seek permission to withdraw, revealing the ethical cost of disorder in battle.
Sañjaya, speaking, addresses a Kuru king/prince as “Kurunandana” and says that if his safety cannot be assured amid the fighting, he asks leave to return home. The statement conveys the peril and instability of the battlefield situation in this section of the Droṇa Parva.