Shloka 9
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 47 — Arjuna’s Deterrent Declaration
Sañjaya’s Report
शैनेयेन ध्रुवमात्तायुधेन धृष्टद्युम्नेनाथ शिखण्डिना च । युधिष्ठिरेणेन्द्रकल्पेन चैव योज्पध्यानान्निर्दहेद् गां दिवं च
śaineyena dhruvam āttāyudhena dhṛṣṭadyumnenātha śikhaṇḍinā ca | yudhiṣṭhireṇendrakalpena caiva yo 'padhyānān nirdahad gāṃ divaṃ ca ||
Sañjaya sprach: „Mit Śaineya (Sātyaki), der gewiss die Waffen ergriffen hat, mit Dhṛṣṭadyumna und auch mit Śikhaṇḍin—und mit Yudhiṣṭhira selbst, strahlend wie Indra—wird es zur Schlacht kommen. Dieser König könnte allein durch die Kraft seines feindseligen Entschlusses Erde und selbst den Himmel verbrennen.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the destructive potency of inner hostility (apadhyāna): even a dharmic king’s resolve, when turned toward conflict, is portrayed as world-burning. It implicitly warns that intention and mental fixation can be as consequential as weapons, urging ethical restraint even amid justified warfare.
Sañjaya describes to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the formidable Pāṇḍava side: Sātyaki (Śaineya) armed and ready, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Śikhaṇḍī, and Yudhiṣṭhira shining like Indra. The statement intensifies the sense of impending war and the overwhelming power aligned with the Pāṇḍavas.