Shloka 8
Yudhiṣṭhira–Droṇa Saṃgrāma
Engagement and Countermeasures
यत् तु कार्य भवेत् कार्य कर्मणा तत् समाचर । हीनचेष्टस्य यः: शोक: स हि शत्रुर्धनंजय,'जो कार्य करना हो, उसे प्रयत्नपूर्वक करो। धनंजय! उद्योगहीन मनुष्यका जो शोक है, वह उसके लिये शत्रुके समान है
yat tu kāryaṁ bhavet kāryaṁ karmaṇā tat samācara | hīnaceṣṭasya yaḥ śokaḥ sa hi śatrur dhanañjaya ||
Sañjaya said: Whatever task ought to be done, do that deed with resolute effort. O Dhanañjaya, the grief that arises in a man who is slack in striving becomes, indeed, like an enemy to him—undermining his strength and purpose at the very time action is required.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should carry out one’s necessary duty through decisive action; lack of effort breeds sorrow, and that sorrow functions like an enemy by weakening courage, clarity, and effectiveness.
In the Drona Parva war-reporting frame, Sañjaya addresses Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) with a maxim urging purposeful action and warning that despondency born of inactivity becomes a hostile force during critical moments of battle and duty.