Shloka 12
धृतराष्ट्र-संजय संवादः — उपप्लव्यगमनाज्ञा
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Saṃjaya Dialogue: Command to Proceed to Upaplavya
दिशं ह्युदीचीमपि चोत्तरान् कुरून् गाण्डीवधन्वैकरथो जिगाय । धनं चैषामाहरत् सव्यसाची सेनानुगान् द्रविडांश्वैव चक्रे,गाण्डीव धनुष धारण करके एकमात्र रथपर आरूढ़ हो सव्यसाची अर्जुनने न केवल उत्तर-दिशापर विजय पायी थी, अपितु उत्तर कुरुदेशको भी जीत लिया था और उन सबकी धन-सम्पत्ति जीतकर ले आये थे। उन्होंने द्रविड़ोंको भी जीतकर अपनी सेनाका अनुगामी बनाया था कच्चिन्मानं तात लभन्त एते धनुर्भुतः कच्चिदेते5प्यरोगा: । येषां राष्ट्र निवसति दर्शनीयो महेष्वास: शीलवान द्रोणपुत्र: तात! जिनके राष्ट्रमें दर्शनीय, शीलवान् तथा महाथधनुर्धर द्रोणपुत्र अश्वत्थामा निवास करता है, उन कौरवोंके बीच क्या पूर्वोक्त धनुर्धर विद्वान् आदर पाते हैं? क्या ये कौरव भी नीरोग हैं?
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
diśaṁ hy udīcīm api cottarān kurūn gāṇḍīvadhanvaikaratho jigāya |
dhanaṁ caiṣām āharat savyasācī senānugān draviḍāṁś caiva cakre |
kaccin mānaṁ tāta labhanta ete dhanurbhṛtaḥ kaccid ete ’py arogāḥ |
yeṣāṁ rāṣṭre nivasati darśanīyo maheṣvāsaḥ śīlavān droṇaputraḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Arjuna, the ambidextrous archer who bears the Gāṇḍīva, riding alone in a single chariot, conquered even the northern quarter and subdued the Northern Kurus. He brought back their wealth and made the Draviḍas, along with their forces, follow his army. ‘Dear one, do those bowmen there receive due honor? And are those Kurus also free from illness—those in whose realm dwells the illustrious, great archer, the well-conducted son of Droṇa, Aśvatthāmā?’
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage links martial success with ethical-political concerns: conquest is narrated, but the focus shifts to whether warriors receive proper honor and whether the realm is healthy—implying that a kingdom’s strength is measured not only by victories but by right recognition of merit and the welfare of its people.
Vaiśampāyana recounts Arjuna’s northern campaign: he conquers the northern quarter and the Northern Kurus, brings back wealth, and subdues the Draviḍas, making them follow his army. The narration then turns into a concerned inquiry about the Kurus—whether their bowmen are respected and whether they are in good health—framed by the presence of Aśvatthāmā in their kingdom.