Shloka 20
द्रोण–सात्यकि द्वैरथम्
Droṇa and Sātyaki: The Chariot Duel
अजुन उवाच सत्यं वः प्रतिजानामि श्वो5स्मि हन्ता जयद्रथम् । न चेद् वधभयाद् भीतो धार्तराष्ट्रान् प्रहास्यति,अर्जुनने कहा--मैं आपलोगोंके सामने सच्ची प्रतिज्ञा करके कहता हूँ, कल जयद्रथको अवश्य मार डालूँगा। महाराज! यदि वह मारे जानेके भयसे डरकर धृतराष्ट्रपुत्रोंकी छोड़ नहीं देगा, मेरी, पुरुषोत्तम श्रीकृष्णकी अथवा आपकी शरणमें नहीं आ जायगा तो कल उसे अवश्य मार डालूँगा
arjuna uvāca satyaṁ vaḥ pratijānāmi śvo ’smi hantā jayadratham | na ced vadhabhayād bhīto dhārtarāṣṭrān prahāsyati ||
Arjuna said: “In truth, I make this vow before you all: tomorrow I shall slay Jayadratha. And if, fearing death, he does not abandon the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra and seek refuge—whether in me, in Puruṣottama Śrī Kṛṣṇa, or in you—then tomorrow I will surely kill him.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds satya (truthfulness) expressed as a public vow and the kṣatriya ethic of accountability: a warrior’s word binds him, and justice in war is pursued within a moral frame that still leaves room for śaraṇāgati (seeking refuge) as an alternative to destruction.
After the day’s crisis involving Jayadratha, Arjuna declares before his allies a firm next-day vow to kill Jayadratha. He adds a conditional: if Jayadratha, fearing death, does not abandon the Kauravas and seek protection (in Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa, or their side), then Arjuna will certainly slay him the next day.