Shloka 13

Abhimanyu-śravaṇa-prastāva and Cakravyūha-vinyāsa

Prelude to Abhimanyu’s Account and the Wheel-Formation Deployment

Devanagari script

सत्यं तात ब्रवीम्यद्य नैतज्जात्वन्यथा भवेत्‌ । अद्यैकं प्रवरं कंचित्‌ पातयिष्ये महारथम्‌,“तात! आज मैं एक सच्ची बात कहता हूँ, यह कभी झूठी नहीं हो सकती। आज मैं पाण्डवपक्षके किसी श्रेष्ठ महारथीको अवश्य मार गिराऊँगा

Transliteration

satyaṃ tāta bravīmy adya naitaj jātvan yathā bhavet | adyaikaṃ pravaraṃ kañcit pātayiṣye mahāratham ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “My son, I speak the truth today—this can never turn out otherwise. Today I shall surely strike down one eminent great chariot-warrior from the Pāṇḍava side.”

Word by Word

• {'satyaṃ': 'truth

• what is real and reliable', 'tāta': 'dear son

• affectionate address (here to Dhṛtarāṣṭra)', 'bravīmi': 'I speak

• I declare', 'adya': 'today

• at this very time', 'na etat': 'not this

• this will not (be otherwise)', 'jātu': 'ever

• at any time', 'anyathā': 'otherwise

• differently', 'bhavet': 'might be

• could happen', 'ekaṃ': 'one', 'pravaram': 'excellent

• eminent', 'kañcit': 'someone

• a certain person', 'pātayiṣye': 'I shall cause to fall

• I shall bring down/kill', 'mahāratham': 'a great chariot-warrior

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Pāṇḍavas (Pāṇḍava side)
• mahāratha (great chariot-warrior)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds satya (truthfulness) as a moral stance even amid war, while also showing how declarations of certainty and resolve can function as psychological warfare and self-binding vows—words meant to make an outcome ‘inevitable’ through commitment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya, reporting events to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, conveys a warrior’s confident proclamation: that on this very day one foremost Pāṇḍava champion will be brought down. It heightens tension by predicting a major casualty among elite fighters.