Shloka 3
Saṃśaptaka-Varūthinī Saṅgrāma — Binding and Counter-Binding (संशप्तक-वरूथिनी-संग्रामः)
न चेत् तदभिमन्येत तस्मै दद्यामहं पुन: । शकटं रत्नसम्पूर्ण यो मे ब्रूबादू धनंजयम्
na cet tad abhimanyeta tasmai dadyāmahaṃ punaḥ | śakaṭaṃ ratna-sampūrṇaṃ yo me brūyād dhanañjayam ||
Sañjaya said: “If he is not satisfied even with that, I will give him more again. Whoever tells me where Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) is, to him I will give a cart filled with jewels.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in the pressure of war, leaders may resort to material inducements to secure information. It invites reflection on the ethical tension between strategic necessity and the moral cost of motivating people through greed.
A speaker (reported by Sañjaya) offers escalating rewards: if the earlier offer is insufficient, more will be given; and specifically, a jewel-filled cart is promised to anyone who reveals the whereabouts of Dhanañjaya (Arjuna), indicating an attempt to locate a crucial enemy warrior.