Shloka 4
Adhyāya 104 — Śikhaṇḍin-puraskāraḥ (Śikhaṇḍin as Vanguard) and Bhīṣma’s Counter-Advance
नकुल: सहदेवो वा सात्यकिर्वा महारथ: । एतदाचक्ष्व मे सत्यं कुशलो हासि संजय,उस युद्धके मैदानमें अर्जुनने मेरी सेनाओंके साथ क्या किया? रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठ भीमसेन अथवा राक्षस घटोत्कच या नकुल-सहदेव एवं महारथी सात्यकिने क्या किया? संजय! यह सब मुझे यथार्थरूपसे बताओ; क्योंकि तुम इन बातोंके बतानेमें कुशल हो
nakulaḥ sahadevo vā sātyakir vā mahārathaḥ | etad ācakṣva me satyaṃ kuśalo hāsi sañjaya ||
Dhritarashtra said: “Tell me truthfully, Sanjaya—since you are skilled in reporting—what did Nakula or Sahadeva do, or Satyaki the great chariot-warrior?”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds satya (truthfulness) and responsible narration: Dhṛtarāṣṭra demands an accurate report, implying that in the chaos of war, ethical clarity begins with truthful speech and reliable witnessing.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, unable to see the battle, questions Sañjaya about the actions of key Pāṇḍava allies—Nakula, Sahadeva, and the great warrior Sātyaki—urging him to recount events truthfully because he is competent in describing them.