Shloka 17
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 2: Karṇa’s lament, vow, and battle preparation after Bhīṣma’s fall
यमौ रणे यत्र यमोपमौ बले ससात्यकिर्यत्र च देवकीसुत: । न तद्धलं कापुरुषो 5 भ्युपेयिवान् निवर्तते मृत्युमुखान्न चासुभृत्,“जहाँ रणभूमिमें यमराजके समान नकुल और सहदेव विद्यमान हैं, जहाँ सात्यकि तथा देवकीनन्दन भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण हैं, उस सेनामें कोई कायर मनुष्य प्रवेश कर जाय तो वह मौतके मुखसे जीवित नहीं निकल सकता
yamau raṇe yatra yamopamau bale sasātyakir yatra ca devakīsutaḥ | na tad dhalaṁ kāpuruṣo 'bhyupeyivān nivartate mṛtyumukhān na cāsubhṛt ||
Sañjaya said: “On that battlefield stand the twin brothers Nakula and Sahadeva, mighty as Yama himself; there too are Sātyaki and Devakī’s son, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. No coward who dares to enter that force returns alive—he does not come back from the very mouth of death, still bearing life.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the kṣatriya ethic of courage: entering a righteous battle while lacking resolve is self-destructive. It also highlights how the presence of formidable warriors—and especially Kṛṣṇa—renders the opposing force terrifying to the faint-hearted.
Sañjaya is describing the battlefield situation to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, emphasizing the strength and fearsome composition of the side where Nakula, Sahadeva, Sātyaki, and Kṛṣṇa are present, and asserting that a coward who confronts such a force will not survive.