Shloka 24
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 47 — Arjuna’s Deterrent Declaration
Sañjaya’s Report
उपासंगानाचरेद् दक्षिणेन वराज़ानां नकुलक्रित्रयोधी । यदा रथाग्रयो रथिन: प्रणेता तदा युद्ध धार्तराष्ट्रोडन्वतप्स्यत्
sañjaya uvāca |
upāsaṅgān ācaret dakṣiṇena varājānāṃ nakulaś citrayodhī |
yadā rathāgryo rathinaḥ praṇetā tadā yuddhe dhārtarāṣṭro dūna-vat tapsyate ||
Sañjaya sprach: „Nakula, ein erstrangiger Wagenkämpfer und Krieger von auffallender, unkonventioneller Kunst, wird dicht an den rechten Flügel eurer Könige heranrücken. Wenn dieser Führer unter den Wagenstreitern die Schlacht eröffnet, dann wird Duryodhana, der Sohn Dhṛtarāṣṭras, vor Gram brennen—gezwungen, die Folgen des Krieges zu bedenken, während seine Männer niedergemacht und in Yamas Reich gesandt werden.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral weight and inevitable sorrow that follow from choosing war: martial skill may win moments on the field, but the instigator must face the grief born of violence and its consequences.
Sañjaya foretells Nakula’s tactical advance on the right flank and his effective chariot-combat; as the fighting begins and losses mount, Duryodhana is depicted as inwardly tormented, anticipating the bitter outcome of the conflict he has driven toward.