Shloka 16
जयद्रथवधः — The Slaying of Jayadratha
Sunset Vow and Curse-Condition
यत्रैते सतलत्राणा: सुयोधनपुरोगमा: । मामेवाभिमुखा: सर्वे तिष्ठन्ति समरार्थिन:,“जहाँ कवच धारण किये रणदुर्मद क्रूरकर्मा काम्बोज, धनुष-बाण धारण किये प्रहारकुशल यवन, शक, किरात, दरद, बर्बर, ताम्रलिप्त तथा हाथोंमें भाँति-भाँतिके आयुध धारण किये अन्य बहुत-से म्लेच्छ--ये सब-के-सब जहाँ दुर्योधनको अगुआ बनाकर दस्ताने पहने युद्धकी इच्छासे मेरी ओर मुँह करके खड़े हैं, वहीं चलो
sañjaya uvāca |
yatraite satala-trāṇāḥ suyodhana-purogāmāḥ |
mām evābhimukhāḥ sarve tiṣṭhanti samarārthinaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “There, where all these warriors—armoured and protected, with Suyodhana (Duryodhana) at their head—stand facing me, all intent on battle, to that very place (go).”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral psychology of war: collective resolve hardens when a force is unified under a leader and oriented toward violence. It implicitly warns how leadership and group alignment can intensify conflict, making ethical restraint harder once armies stand ‘facing’ one another with the desire to fight.
Sañjaya reports a battlefield disposition: the opposing warriors, led by Duryodhana, are stationed facing the speaker’s side and are eager for combat. The line functions as a situational marker—identifying where the enemy host is concentrated and ready to engage.