Shloka 41
Adhyāya 16: Saṃśaptaka-vrata and the Diversion of Arjuna (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय १६)
अस्मिन् मुहूतें द्रोणस्तु पाण्डवं गृह हर्षितः । आगमिष्याति नो नून॑ धार्तराष्ट्रस्य संयुगे,“इस मुहूर्तमें द्रोणाचार्य रणक्षेत्रमें निश्चय ही राजा युधिष्ठिरको पकड़कर बड़े हर्षके साथ हमारे राजा दुर्योधनके समीप ले आयेंगे”
asmin muhūrte droṇas tu pāṇḍavaṁ gṛhya harṣitaḥ | āgamiṣyati no nūnaṁ dhārtarāṣṭrasya saṁyuge ||
Sañjaya said: “At this very moment, Droṇa—surely—will seize the Pāṇḍava (Yudhiṣṭhira) on the battlefield and, rejoicing, bring him to our king Duryodhana in the Kauravas’ combat.” The line reflects the Kaurava camp’s hope that capturing Yudhiṣṭhira will decide the war swiftly, even as it underscores the ethical tension of seeking victory through the taking of a righteous king as a captive rather than through fair conquest.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how desire for swift victory can shape perception and speech: Sañjaya voices the Kauravas’ confident expectation that capturing Yudhiṣṭhira will end the conflict. Ethically, it points to the tension between dharma (righteous conduct in war) and expedient strategy—revealing partiality, hope, and the moral stakes of targeting a righteous king for capture.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Droṇa, fighting for the Kauravas, is expected at that very moment to seize Yudhiṣṭhira on the battlefield and bring him, joyfully, before Duryodhana—implying a decisive turning point the Kauravas anticipate.