Shloka 586
दुर्योधन–द्रोणसंवादः
Arjuna-vīrya-prasaṃśā and renewed battle formation
अत्रापि शृणु मे वाक््यं यथावद् ब्रुवतो द्विज । “ब्रह्मन! दुर्मते! तुम तो युद्धस्थलमें समस्त कौरव-सेनाओंको भयभीत करनेके लिये पाण्डवोंके गुण गाना चाहते हो, उसके विषयमें भी मैं जो यथार्थ बात कह रहा हूँ, उसे सुन लो
atrāpi śṛṇu me vākyam yathāvad bruvato dvija | brahman durmate tvaṁ tu yuddhasthale samasta-kaurava-senābhyo bhayabhītān kartum pāṇḍavānāṁ guṇān gātum icchasi | tasminn api viṣaye ’haṁ yad yathārthaṁ bravīmi tat śṛṇu ||
Sanjaya said: “Even here, O twice-born, listen to my words as I speak them properly. ‘O Brahmin, O misguided one! You wish to sing the virtues of the Pandavas on the battlefield in order to strike fear into all the Kaurava armies. On that very matter too, hear what I state as the truth.’”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds ethical speech in a war context: praise can be used strategically to intimidate, but the speaker insists on stating matters 'yathārtham'—truthfully and properly—highlighting responsibility in narration and counsel even amid propaganda.
Sanjaya addresses a Brahmin (called 'dvija' and 'brahman') and rebukes him as 'durmati' for wanting to praise the Pandavas on the battlefield to frighten the Kaurava forces; Sanjaya urges him to listen to what he will say as the accurate account of the matter.