Shloka 12
तत् कथं नु महाबाहुर्वासवि: परवीरहा । प्रतिज्ञां सफलां कुर्यादेति ते समचिन्तयन्,सब लोग इसी चिन्तामें पड़े थे कि पुत्रशोकसे संतप्त हुए गाण्डीवधारी महामना अर्जुनने सहसा सिंधुराज जयद्रथके वधकी प्रतिज्ञा कर ली है। शत्रुवीरोंका संहार करनेवाले वे महाबाहु इन्द्रकुमार अपनी उस प्रतिज्ञाको कैसे सफल करेंगे?
tad kathaṁ nu mahābāhur vāsaviḥ paravīrahā | pratijñāṁ saphalāṁ kuryād iti te samacintayan |
Sañjaya said: "How, then, will the mighty-armed son of Indra—slayer of enemy heroes—make his vow come true?" Thus they all reflected, for Arjuna, the great-souled wielder of the Gāṇḍīva, burning with grief for his son, had suddenly vowed to kill Jayadratha, the king of Sindhu. They were absorbed in anxiety over how he would fulfill that pledge amid the press of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of a warrior’s vow (pratijñā): once publicly undertaken—especially under intense grief—it becomes a matter of honor and dharma to fulfill it, even when success appears uncertain.
After Arjuna, grieving for his son, vows to kill Jayadratha, those present anxiously deliberate how the mighty Arjuna (son of Indra, wielder of the Gāṇḍīva) can possibly accomplish this vow amid the dangers and defenses of the battlefield.