Shloka 383
ये चावर्जयतां लोका: स्वपतां च तथोषसि । जो बायें हाथसे भोजन करते हैं, गोदमें रखकर खाते हैं, जो पलासके आसनका और तेंदूकी दातुनका त्याग नहीं करते तथा उष:कालमें सोते हैं, उनको जो नरकलोक प्राप्त होते हैं (वे ही मुझे भी मिले; यदि मैं जयद्रथको न मार डालूँ)
ye cāvarjayatāṁ lokāḥ svapatāṁ ca tathōṣasi |
Arjuna said: “The hellish realms that are said to befall those who violate proper conduct—such as eating with the left hand, eating while holding food in the lap, refusing to give up a palāśa-leaf seat and a tinduka tooth-stick, and sleeping at dawn—may those very realms be mine as well, if I do not slay Jayadratha.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Arjuna frames his battlefield vow in moral terms: failing a righteous resolve (to punish grave wrongdoing) is treated as spiritually ruinous, even comparable to the demerit associated with violating established codes of conduct. The verse highlights the seriousness of a pledged duty and the ethical weight of keeping one’s word.
During the Drona Parva, after Abhimanyu’s death and Jayadratha’s role in blocking the Pandavas, Arjuna swears to kill Jayadratha. Here he intensifies the vow by invoking the fate of sinners—declaring that if he does not slay Jayadratha, he accepts the same hellish destiny attributed to those who disregard prescribed daily conduct.