Shloka 53
Saṃśaptaka-Varūthinī Saṅgrāma — Binding and Counter-Binding (संशप्तक-वरूथिनी-संग्रामः)
युक्तमञ्जनकेशीभिरयों मे ब्रूयाद् धनंजयम् । “इतना ही नहीं
yuktam añjanakeśībhir ayaṃ me brūyād dhanañjayam |
Sañjaya said: “Let someone tell me where Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) is. I will reward the one who shows Arjuna with a hundred great villages; and whoever discloses Arjuna’s whereabouts will also be presented a white chariot yoked with she-mules, with dark-haired young women seated in it.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in wartime, leaders may use lavish incentives—wealth, land, and luxury—to obtain intelligence. Ethically, it points to the power of temptation and the moral risk of turning truth and loyalty into commodities.
A proclamation is being made offering major rewards to anyone who can reveal or point out Arjuna (Dhanañjaya). The promise includes a grant of a hundred large villages and a prestigious white chariot yoked with she-mules, accompanied by dark-haired young women—meant to entice informants and locate Arjuna.