Shloka 113
द्रोणपर्व — अध्याय 128: दुर्योधनस्य परसेनाप्रवेशः
Duryodhana’s Incursion and the Tumult of Battle
सात्वतस्यापि कं युद्धे प्रेषयिष्ये पदानुगम् । “इस समय सात्यकिका भी पता लगाना चाहिये और पाण्डुपुत्र अर्जुनका भी। मैंने पाण्डुपुत्र अर्जुनके पीछे तो सात्यकिको भेज दिया। अब सात्यकिके पीछे किसको युद्धभूमिमें भेजूँगा?
sātvatasyāpi kaṃ yuddhe preṣayiṣye padānugam |
Sañjaya said: “And whom shall I send into the battle as a tracker to follow even Sātvata (Sātyaki) step by step? For Sātyaki too must be found out—along with Arjuna, the son of Pāṇḍu. I have already dispatched Sātyaki to go after Arjuna; now, who is to be sent after Sātyaki on the battlefield?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the practical ethics of warfare: responsibility in command requires accurate information and disciplined pursuit, yet every decision creates further obligations—sending one warrior after another—revealing the cascading costs of conflict and the limits of control amid battle.
Sañjaya reports a tactical dilemma: Arjuna’s position must be ascertained, so Sātyaki has been sent to follow him; now the speaker wonders who can be dispatched to track Sātyaki in turn, indicating rapid movements and uncertainty on the battlefield.