Shloka 12
Saṃśaptakas in Candrārdha-vyūha; Arjuna’s Devadatta and the Traigarta Rout
Chapter 17
वयं विनिकृता राजन् सदा गाण्डीवधन्चना । अनाग:स्वपि चागस्तत् कृतमस्मासु तेन वै,“महाराज! गाण्डीवधारी अर्जुनने हमेशा हमलोगोंका अपमान किया है। यद्यपि हम सदा निरपराध रहे हैं तो भी उनके द्वारा सर्वदा हमारे प्रति अपराध किया गया है
vayaṁ vinikṛtā rājan sadā gāṇḍīvadhanvanā | anāgassv api cāgastat kṛtam asmāsu tena vai ||
“O King, we have always been humiliated by Arjuna, the wielder of the Gāṇḍīva bow. Though we were not at fault, he has nonetheless repeatedly committed an offense against us.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how perceived humiliation and the belief that one has been wronged—even when one claims innocence—can harden resentment and fuel ethical blindness in conflict; it warns that grievance narratives often become moral justifications for further hostility.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra a complaint directed at Arjuna: that the Gāṇḍīva-bearing hero has repeatedly dishonoured them, and that this is treated as an ongoing offense against their side.