Shloka 39

Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 47 — Arjuna’s Deterrent Declaration

Sañjaya’s Report

Devanagari script

रणे हते कौरवाणां प्रवीरे शिखण्डिना सत्तमे शान्तनूजे । न जातु नः शत्रवो धारयेयु- रसंशयं सत्यमेतद्‌ ब्रवीमि,कौरववंशके प्रमुख वीर शान्तनुनन्दन साधुशिरो-मणि भीष्मजी जब युद्धमें शिखण्डीके हाथसे मार दिये जायँगे, उस समय हमारे शत्रु कौरव कभी हमलोगोंका वेग नहीं सह सकेंगे, यह मैं सत्य कहता हूँ, इसमें तनिक भी संशय नहीं है

Transliteration

raṇe hate kauravāṇāṁ pravīre śikhaṇḍinā sattame śāntanūje | na jātu naḥ śatravo dhārayeyur asaṁśayaṁ satyam etad bravīmi ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “When, in battle, the foremost hero of the Kauravas—Bhīṣma, the noble son of Śāntanu—has been slain by Śikhaṇḍin, then our enemies will never be able to withstand our onrush. Of this I have no doubt; I speak the truth.”

Word by Word

• {'raṇe': 'in battle, in war', 'hate': 'when slain

• (locative absolute) upon being killed', 'kauravāṇām': 'of the Kauravas', 'pravīre': 'in/when the foremost hero (is slain)

• chief warrior', 'śikhaṇḍinā': 'by Śikhaṇḍin (instrumental)', 'sattame': 'best, most excellent, foremost', 'śāntanūje': 'O son of Śāntanu (vocative)

• i.e., Bhīṣma', 'na jātu': 'never, at no time', 'naḥ': 'our', 'śatravaḥ': 'enemies', 'dhārayeyuḥ': 'would endure/withstand/bear (optative)', 'asaṁśayam': 'without doubt, certainly', 'satyam': 'truth', 'etat': 'this', 'bravīmi': 'I say, I declare'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Kauravas
• Bhīṣma (Śāntanuja)
• Śikhaṇḍin
• battle/war (raṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the decisive moral and strategic weight of a single pivotal event in war: once the seemingly invincible pillar (Bhīṣma) falls, the opposing side’s confidence and capacity to resist collapses. Sañjaya also foregrounds satya (truthful speech) by explicitly asserting certainty and truth in his report.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya predicts to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that if Bhīṣma—the Kauravas’ foremost warrior, son of Śāntanu—is slain in battle by Śikhaṇḍin, then the Kauravas’ enemies will become unstoppable, and the Kauravas will not be able to withstand their assault.