Shloka 10
Abhimanyu-śravaṇa-prastāva and Cakravyūha-vinyāsa
Prelude to Abhimanyu’s Account and the Wheel-Formation Deployment
ततो<प्रीतस्तथोक्त: सन् भारद्वाजो<ब्रवीन्नपम् । नाईसे मां तथा ज्ञातुं घटमानं तव प्रिये,दुर्योधनके ऐसा कहनेपर द्रोणाचार्यको तनिक भी प्रसन्नता नहीं हुई। वे दुःखी होकर राजासे इस प्रकार बोले--'राजन्! तुमको मुझे इस प्रकार प्रतिज्ञा भंग करनेवाला नहीं समझना चाहिये। मैं अपनी पूरी शक्ति लगाकर तुम्हारा प्रिय करनेकी चेष्टा कर रहा हूँ
tato 'prītaḥ tathoktaḥ san bhāradvājo 'bravīn nṛpam | na īśe māṃ tathā jñātuṃ ghaṭamānaṃ tava priye ||
Sañjaya said: Then Bhāradvāja (Droṇa), displeased at being addressed in that manner, spoke to the king: “O ruler, you should not regard me as one who breaks his pledge. I am striving with all my might to accomplish what is dear to you.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of a vow and personal honor: Droṇa rejects the accusation of pledge-breaking and frames his conduct as sincere exertion toward the king’s desired objective, emphasizing integrity even amid wartime pressure.
After being spoken to in a way that implies failure or breach of promise, Droṇa (called Bhāradvāja) responds to King Duryodhana, stating that he should not be judged as one who breaks his pledge, because he is actively striving with full effort to fulfill what Duryodhana wants.