Shloka 5
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 114 — Karṇa–Bhīmasena Missile Exchange, Disarmament, and Arjuna’s Intervention
न हि मे पाण्डवात् वक्ित् त्रिषु लोकेषु विद्यते । यो मे प्रियतरो राजन् सत्यमेतद् ब्रवीमि ते,'राजन्! मैं आपसे सच कहता हूँ कि तीनों लोकोंमें कोई ऐसा पुरुष नहीं है, जो मुझे पाण्डुनन्दन अर्जुनसे अधिक प्रिय हो
na hi me pāṇḍavāt vaktit triṣu lokeṣu vidyate | yo me priyataro rājan satyam etad bravīmi te |
Sañjaya said: “O King, I tell you the truth: in the three worlds there is no man dearer to me than the Pāṇḍava Arjuna. This is my honest declaration to you.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds satya (truthfulness) and heartfelt loyalty: Sañjaya openly affirms, without exaggeration in his own view, that Arjuna is dearest to him, presenting personal affection as something to be stated responsibly and truthfully before the king.
In the midst of the war-reporting of Droṇa Parva, Sañjaya addresses Dhṛtarāṣṭra and expresses his personal esteem for Arjuna, emphasizing that no one in the three worlds is dearer to him—an evaluative aside within the ongoing narration of battlefield events.