Shloka 8
जयद्रथवधः — The Slaying of Jayadratha
Sunset Vow and Curse-Condition
वल्लेरिव प्रदीप्तस्य वने शुष्कतृणोलपे । 'योद्धाओंमें श्रेष्ठ कृतवर्माको पराजित करके मैं ऐसा समझता हूँ कि अर्जुन मुझे मिल गये। जैसे सूखे तृण और लतावाले वनमें प्रज्वलित हुई अग्निके लिये कहीं कोई बाधा नहीं रहती, उसी प्रकार मुझे इन अनेक सेनाओंको देखकर तनिक भी त्रास नहीं हो रहा है ।। पश्य पाण्डवमुख्येन यातां भूमिं किरीटिना
vallēr iva pradīptasya vane śuṣka-tṛṇa-latā-olape | yoddhāṇāṁ śreṣṭhaṁ kṛtavarmāṇaṁ parājityaivaṁ manye ’rjuno me militaḥ | yathā śuṣka-tṛṇa-latā-vane prajvalitāyā agneḥ kvacid api na bādhā bhavati, tathā bahvīḥ senā dṛṣṭvāpi mama tan-mātraṁ trāsaṁ na bhavati || paśya pāṇḍava-mukhyena yātāṁ bhūmiṁ kirīṭinā ||
Sañjaya said: “Having overpowered Kṛtavarmā—foremost among warriors—I take it that Arjuna has now come within my reach. Just as a blazing fire meets no obstruction in a forest of dry grass and creepers, so too, even on seeing these many armies, I feel not the slightest fear. Behold the ground traversed by the diadem-wearing chief of the Pāṇḍavas.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the warrior-ethic of steadfastness: when one’s aim is fixed and confidence is firm, external numbers and threats need not produce fear. The fire-in-dry-forest simile frames courage as an inner momentum that removes perceived obstacles.
Sañjaya reports a combatant’s boastful confidence after overcoming Kṛtavarmā, concluding that Arjuna is now within reach. He declares that the sight of many opposing forces does not frighten him, and points to the path/ground covered by Arjuna, the diadem-wearing leader among the Pāṇḍavas.