Shloka 10
Kṛṣṇopadeśa and Duryodhana’s Challenge
Droṇa-parva, Adhyāya 77
द्रशसि श्वो महेष्वासान् नाराचैस्तिग्मतेजितै: । शृज्भराणीव गिरेव॑जैर्दार्यमाणान् मया युधि,जैसे इन्द्र अपने वद्धद्वारा पर्वतोंके शिखरोंको विदीर्ण कर देते हैं, उसी प्रकार कल युद्धमें मैं अच्छी तरह तेज किये हुए नाराचोंद्वारा बड़े-बड़े धनुर्धरोंको चीर डालूँगा; यह आप देखेंगे
arjuna uvāca | drakṣyasi śvo maheṣvāsān nārācais tigmatajitaiḥ | śṛṅgāṇīvādrijeṣṭhair dāryamāṇān mayā yudhi ||
Arjuna said: “Tomorrow you will see, in the midst of battle, great bowmen being cleft by me with razor-sharp nārāca arrows—just as Indra, with his thunderbolt, splits the mountain-peaks. This will be a visible proof of my resolve and martial duty in war.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds kṣatriya-dharma: steadfast resolve and disciplined martial action in a righteous battle context. Arjuna frames his intent not as cruelty but as duty-bound prowess, using a divine simile to emphasize certainty and effectiveness.
Arjuna makes a forceful declaration that on the next day of fighting he will pierce and split formidable enemy archers with keen nārāca arrows. He compares his impending battlefield feat to Indra splitting mountain peaks with the vajra, signaling an imminent escalation in combat.