Shloka 12
सैन्धवविक्रमवर्णनम् / Description of Jayadratha’s Martial Display
(दमो वा ब्रह्मचर्य वा सूत यच्चास्य सत्तम । देवं कतममाराध्य विष्णुमीशानमब्जजम् ।। सिन्धुराट् तनये सक्तान् क्रुद्ध: पार्थानवारयत् | नैवं कृतं महत् कर्म भीष्मेणाज्ञासिषं तथा ।।) साधुशिरोमणे सूत! जयद्रथमें जो इन्द्रियसंयम अथवा ब्रह्मचर्य हो, वह बताओ। विष्णु, शिव अथवा ब्रह्मा किस देवताकी आराधना करके सिन्धुराजने अपने पुत्रकी रक्षामें तत्पर हुए पाण्डवोंको क्रोधपूर्वक रोक दिया? भीष्मने भी ऐसा महान् पराक्रम किया हो, उसका पता मुझे नहीं है। संजय उवाच द्रौपदीहरणे यत् तद् भीमसेनेन निर्जित: । मानात् स तप्तवान् राजा वरार्थी सुमहत् तप:,अभ्यद्रवन् परीप्सन्तो व्यूढानीका: प्रहारिण: । संजयने कहा--राजन! युधिष्ठिर, भीमसेन, शिखण्डी, सात्यकि, नकुल-सहदेव, धष्टद्युम्न, विराट, द्रपद, केकय-राजकुमार, रोषमें भरा हुआ धृष्टकेतु तथा मत्स्यदेशीय योद्धा --ये सब-के-सब युद्धस्थलमें आगे बढ़े। अभिमन्युके ताऊ, चाचा तथा मामागण अपनी सेनाको व्यूहद्वारा संगठित करके प्रहार करनेके लिये उद्यत हो अभिमन्युकी रक्षाके लिये उसीके बनाये हुए मार्गसे व्यूहमें जानेके उद्देश्यसे एक साथ दौड़ पड़े संजयने कहा--महाराज! द्रौपदीहरणके प्रसंगमें जो जयद्रथको भीमसेनसे पराजित होना पड़ा था, उसीसे अभिमानवश अपमानका अनुभव करके राजाने वर प्राप्त करनेकी इच्छा रखकर बड़ी भारी तपस्या की
sa f1jaya uv01ca |
damo v01 brahmacarya 5 v01 s6bta yacc01sya sattama |
deva 5 katamam 01r01dhya vi 63 47um 2b5b01nam abjajam ||
sindhur01 6d tanaye sakt01n kruddha 25 p01rth01n av01rayat |
aiva 5 k 5bta 5 mahat karma bh2b 63me 4701j f101si 63a 5 tath01 ||
sa f1jaya uv01ca |
draupad2b-hara 47e yat tad bh2bmasenena nirjita 25 |
m01n01t sa taptav01n r01j01 var01rth2b sumahat tapa 25 ||
Sanjaya said: “O Sūta, best among the virtuous, tell me: what was that self-restraint, or what celibate discipline, that he practiced? And which deity did he worship—Viṣṇu, Īśāna (Śiva), or Brahmā, the lotus-born—by whose favor the king of Sindhu, in anger, was able to check the Pāṇḍavas who were intent on protecting the son (Abhimanyu)? I do not know of Bhīṣma having performed so great a feat.” Sanjaya said: “O King, in the episode of Draupadī’s abduction, Jayadratha had been defeated by Bhīmasena. Feeling the sting of humiliation born of pride, that king undertook an immense austerity, desiring a boon.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how wounded pride can drive a person toward severe austerities to obtain power, and it implicitly questions the ethical worth of such power when used to obstruct a righteous protective effort. It also contrasts mere martial prowess with the extraordinary efficacy attributed to divine boons gained through tapas.
The speaker asks what discipline and which deity Jayadratha worshipped to gain the ability to block the P01 47 0davas as they tried to protect Abhimanyu. Sanjaya then explains the backstory: Jayadratha, previously defeated by Bh2bma during the Draupad2b-abduction episode, felt humiliated and therefore performed great austerities to secure a boon.