Shloka 193

अनुक्रमणिकाध्यायः (Anukramaṇikā Adhyāya) — Invocation, Narrator Frame, and Textual Scope

Devanagari script

यदाश्रौषं सैन्धवार्थे प्रतिज्ञां प्रतिज्ञातां तद्गधायार्जुनेन । सत्यां तीर्णा शत्रुमध्ये च तेन तदा नाशंसे विजयाय संजय,जब मैंने सुना कि अर्जुनने जयद्रथको मार डालनेकी जो दृढ़ प्रतिज्ञा की थी, उसने वह शत्रुओंसे भरी रणभूमिमें सत्य एवं पूर्ण करके दिखा दी। संजय! तभीसे मुझे विजयकी सम्भावना नहीं रह गयी

Transliteration

yadāśrauṣaṃ saindhavārthe pratijñāṃ pratijñātāṃ tadā gadhāyārjunena | satyāṃ tīrṇāṃ śatrumadhye ca tena tadā nāśaṃse vijayāya sañjaya ||

Translation

When I heard of the vow Arjuna had made concerning the Saindhava (Jayadratha), and then learned that he fulfilled that vow in truth—cutting through the midst of enemies—O Sañjaya, from that moment I no longer held out hope for victory.

Word by Word

• {'yadā': 'when', 'aśrauṣam': 'I heard', 'saindhava': 'the Saindhava

• Jayadratha (king of Sindhu)', 'arthe': 'for the sake of

• concerning', 'pratijñām': 'vow, solemn pledge', 'pratijñātām': 'having been vowed

• declared as a vow', 'arjunena': 'by Arjuna', 'satyām': 'true

• faithfully', 'tīrṇām': 'crossed over

• carried through', 'śatru-madhye': 'in the midst of enemies', 'tena': 'by him', 'tadā': 'then

• from that time', 'na āśaṃse': 'I do not hope

• I do not expect', 'vijayāya': 'for victory', 'sañjaya': 'Sanjaya (the narrator addressed)'}

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Jayadratha (Saindhava)
• Sanjaya

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A solemn vow (pratijñā) gains ethical power only when upheld in truth (satya) even under extreme danger; such integrity and steadfast resolve can decisively shape morale and the perceived inevitability of outcomes.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker tells Sañjaya that once he heard of Arjuna’s vow regarding Jayadratha and realized Arjuna had successfully carried it out amid enemies, he lost hope of victory—implying that Arjuna’s proven capability and truthfulness signaled a turning point.