Shloka 12
जयद्रथवध-प्रतिज्ञा
Arjuna’s Vow to Neutralize Jayadratha
यो हि भोज्ये पुरस्कार्यो यानेषु शयनेषु च । भूषणेषु च सो<स्माभिर्बालो युधि पुरस्कृत:
yo hi bhojye puraskāryo yāneṣu śayaneṣu ca | bhūṣaṇeṣu ca so 'smābhir bālo yudhi puraskṛtaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “He who ought to be honored in matters of food, in conveyances, and in beds—and likewise with ornaments—has been honored by us even as a mere boy upon the battlefield.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts social honor (food, conveyance, bed, ornaments) with martial honor, implying that true precedence is also tested and conferred in the arena of duty (yuddha), where even youth may be advanced if the situation demands.
Sañjaya reports that a person—described as a youth—who would normally be given precedence in comforts and honors has been put forward and honored by their side in the context of battle, indicating a deliberate elevation or deployment of him in war.