Shloka 96
Droṇa’s sweeping assault and the Abhimanyu–Jayadratha close-quarters episode (द्रोणस्य भीषणव्यचरितम् / सौभद्र-जयद्रथ-संनिपातः)
न सतं जीवलोकेडस्मिन् काम॑ प्राप्पेत् कथंचन । महाराज! यह धृतराष्ट्रपुत्र दुर्योधन जो आपको युद्धमें कैद करके सारा राज्य हथिया लेना चाहता है, वह इस जगतमें अपने उस मनोरथको किसी प्रकार पूर्ण नहीं कर सकता
na satāṃ jīvaloke 'smin kāmaḥ prāpyeta kathaṃcana | mahārāja! yaḥ dhṛtarāṣṭraputraḥ duryodhanaḥ tvāṃ yuddhe baddhvā sarvaṃ rājyaṃ hartuṃ icchati, sa iha loke svaṃ manorathaṃ kathaṃcid api na pūrayituṃ śaknoti ||
Arjuna said: “In this world of living beings, the wicked can never truly attain their desire. O great king, this Duryodhana, son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra—who seeks to seize the entire kingdom by capturing you in battle—will not be able to fulfill that ambition here, in any way.”
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Arjuna asserts a moral principle: unjust ambition rooted in adharma—such as seizing a kingdom through coercion—cannot ultimately succeed. The verse frames ethical order (dharma) as a force that frustrates wrongful designs, even amid warfare.
In the midst of the Drona Parva’s battle context, Arjuna addresses a “great king,” referring to Duryodhana’s plan to capture him in combat and take the entire kingdom. Arjuna declares that Duryodhana will not be able to accomplish this plan.