Shloka 24
धर्मरहस्योपदेशः
Dharma-rahasya Instruction: Vows, Truth, and Non-injury
कि करोद्यतदण्डेन मृत्युनापि व्रजेद् रणम् “वे ही आज क्रोधसे आतुर हो कवच बाँधकर युद्धके मुहानेपर उपस्थित हैं; परंतु क्या ये दण्ड धारण किये यमराजके साथ भी युद्धके लिये रणभूमिमें उतर सकते हैं?” ।।
kiṁ karodyatad-aṇḍena mṛtyunāpi vrajed raṇam | ve hi adya krodhase āturāḥ kavacaṁ baddhvā yuddha-mukhā upasthitāḥ; kintu kim ete daṇḍa-dhāriṇaṁ yamarājaṁ saha api yuddhāya raṇabhūmau avatariṣyanti || cirakālābhilaṣito mām ayaṁ tu manorathaḥ | samara-aṅgaṇe arjunasya vadhaṁ kuryām athavā sa eva māṁ mārayet | kadācit bhīmasenena saha samāgamāt mama sā icchā adyaiva pūrṇā bhavet ||
Sañjaya said: “What can these men accomplish with their mere rods? Would they even enter the battlefield against Death himself? For today, driven by wrath, they have fastened their armor and stand at the very mouth of war; yet can they truly descend into combat even against Yama, the wielder of punishment?” “And this desire has long lived in my heart: that on the field of battle I should slay Arjuna, or else he should slay me. Perhaps, by coming face to face with Bhīmasena, that wish of mine may be fulfilled this very day.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage contrasts outward martial display with the ultimate limit set by death: anger and armor may embolden warriors, but no human can truly contend with Death/Yama. It also highlights the kṣatriya ideal of staking one’s life on honor—seeking decisive resolution rather than retreat.
Sañjaya reports a fierce, contemptuous assessment of warriors rushing into battle in anger, invoking Yama as the ultimate adversary. The speaker then reveals a long-held battlefield desire: a final, decisive outcome with Arjuna—either to kill him or be killed—anticipating that an encounter (notably involving Bhīmasena) may bring that wish to fulfillment that day.