Shloka 8
जयद्रथवध-प्रतिज्ञा
Arjuna’s Vow to Neutralize Jayadratha
कथं द्रक्ष्यामि कौन्तेयं सौभद्रे निहते$र्जुनम् सुभद्रां वा महाभागां प्रियं पुत्रमपश्यतीम्,“सुभद्राकुमार अभिमन्युके मार दिये जानेपर अब मैं कुन्तीकुमार अर्जुनकी ओर आँख उठाकर कैसे देखूँगा? अथवा अपने प्रियपुत्रको अब नहीं देख पानेवाली महाभागा सुभद्राके सामने कैसे जाऊँगा?
kathaṁ drakṣyāmi kaunteyaṁ saubhadre nihate 'rjunam subhadrāṁ vā mahābhāgāṁ priyaṁ putram apaśyatīm
Sañjaya said: “Now that Saubhadra (Abhimanyu) has been slain, how shall I raise my eyes to look upon Arjuna, the son of Kuntī? Or how shall I go before the noble Subhadrā, who will no longer behold her beloved son?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights moral anguish and accountability in war: the death of the young Abhimanyu is not merely a tactical event but a human tragedy that burdens survivors with shame, empathy, and the duty to face bereaved family members truthfully.
Sañjaya, reporting to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, reflects on the aftermath of Abhimanyu’s killing. He anticipates the unbearable task of facing Arjuna and Subhadrā, recognizing the depth of their impending grief and his own discomfort at witnessing or conveying it.