Shloka 93
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 47 — Arjuna’s Deterrent Declaration
Sañjaya’s Report
ते चेदस्मान् युध्यमानाञ्जयेयु- देवैर्महेन्द्रप्रमुखै: सहायै: । धर्मादधर्मश्षरितो गरीयां- स्ततो ध्रुवं नास्ति कृतं च साधु,“यदि इन्द्र आदि देवताओंकी सहायता पाकर भी धृतराष्ट्रपुत्र हमें युद्धमें जीत लेंगे तो यह मानना पड़ेगा कि धर्मकी अपेक्षा पापाचारका ही महत्त्व अधिक है और संसारसे पुण्यकर्मका अस्तित्व निश्चय ही उठ गया
te ced asmān yudhyamānān jayeyur devair mahendrapramukhaiḥ sahāyaiḥ | dharmād adharmaḥ śarito garīyān tato dhruvaṃ nāsti kṛtaṃ ca sādhu ||
Sanjaya said: “If, even with the gods—Indra and the foremost among them—as allies, the sons of Dhritarashtra were to defeat us while we fight, then one would have to conclude that unrighteousness outweighs righteousness; and surely, in that case, good and meritorious action would no longer have any standing in the world.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts confidence in a moral universe: if adharma were to triumph even against fighters supported by the gods, it would imply that righteousness has lost its power and that virtuous action has no effective place in the world. It frames victory and defeat as indicators of the cosmic balance between dharma and adharma.
Sañjaya reflects on the impending conflict and the stakes of the Kurukṣetra war. He imagines a hypothetical outcome—Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons winning even against opponents aided by Indra and the gods—and uses it to underline how unthinkable such a reversal would be if dharma truly governs the world.