Shloka 136
Saṃśaptaka-Varūthinī Saṅgrāma — Binding and Counter-Binding (संशप्तक-वरूथिनी-संग्रामः)
युक्त परमकाम्बोजैरयों मे ब्रूयाद् धनंजयम् । “इनके सिवा अठारह और भी घोड़े दूँगा
sañjaya uvāca | yukta-parama-kāmbojair ayo me brūyād dhanañjayam | imeṣāṃ sivā aṣṭādaśa anye 'pi ghoḍe dūṅgā, ye suṣṭhu rathaṃ sadhitā bhaviṣyanti | yo mama arjunasya pataṃ vadiṣyati tasmai ahaṃ parama-ujjvalaṃ alaṅkāraiḥ sajjitaṃ suvarṇamayaṃ ekaṃ rathaṃ dāsyāmi, yasmin uttama-jātiyāḥ kābulī-aśvā yuktā bhaviṣyanti ||
Sanjaya said: “Let someone tell me where Dhananjaya (Arjuna) is. Besides these, I will give eighteen more horses, well trained and perfectly harnessed to a chariot. Whoever reveals Arjuna’s whereabouts to me, I will reward him with a splendid golden chariot, richly ornamented, yoked with fine Kabul-bred horses.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage illustrates how, in wartime, desire for victory can lead leaders to use wealth and prestige as tools to obtain information. Ethically, it invites reflection on whether ends justify means, and how greed or ambition can pressure individuals to betray trust or dharma.
A speaker (reported by Sanjaya) announces rewards—additional well-trained horses and an ornate golden chariot with fine Kabul horses—for anyone who can disclose Arjuna’s location, indicating an attempt to gain tactical advantage by locating a key opponent.