Shloka 38
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय 54: फल्गुन-प्रतिरोधः, सौबली-व्यूह-विध्वंसः, दुर्योधन-भीष्म-संवादः
सर्वानद्य रणे दृप्तान् प्रतियोत्स्यामि पार्थिव । तब धृष्टद्युम्नने सबका हर्ष बढ़ाते हुए कहा--'पार्थ! मुझे भगवान् शंकरने पहलेसे ही द्रोणाचार्यका काल बनाकर उत्पन्न किया है। पृथ्वीपते! आज समरांगणमें मैं भीष्म
sañjaya uvāca |
sarvān adya raṇe dṛptān pratiyotsyāmi pārthiva |
atha dhṛṣṭadyumnena sarveṣāṃ harṣaṃ vardhayatā uktam—
“pārtha! māṃ bhagavān śaṅkaraḥ pūrvam eva droṇācāryasya kālaṃ kṛtvā janayāmāsa |
pṛthvīpate! adya samarāṅgaṇe ’haṃ bhīṣmaṃ kṛpācāryaṃ droṇācāryaṃ śalyaṃ jayadrathaṃ ca—etān sarvān abhimānino yodhān pratiyotsye” ||
atha utkruṣṭaṃ maheṣvāsaiḥ pāṇḍavair yuddha-durmadāiḥ |
iti śrutvā yuddhāya mattā mahā-dhanurdharāḥ pāṇḍavāḥ uccaiḥ siṃhanādaṃ cakruḥ |
śatru-sūdana nṛpa-śreṣṭha drupada-putra dhṛṣṭadyumne evaṃ yuddhāya udyate sati kuntī-kumāra yudhiṣṭhiraḥ senāpatiṃ drupada-kumāraṃ punaḥ evam uvāca—
Sañjaya dit : «Ô roi, aujourd’hui, dans la bataille, j’affronterai tous ces guerriers orgueilleux.» Alors Dhṛṣṭadyumna, faisant croître l’allégresse de tous, déclara : «Ô Pārtha ! Le Seigneur Śaṅkara m’a fait naître jadis, me destinant à être la mort de Droṇācārya. Ô maître de la terre ! Aujourd’hui, sur le champ de guerre, je ferai face à Bhīṣma, à Kṛpācārya, à Droṇācārya, à Śalya et à Jayadratha — à tous ces combattants pleins d’orgueil.» À ces mots, les Pāṇḍava — grands archers, ivres de l’ardeur du combat — poussèrent un puissant rugissement de lion. Et lorsque Dhṛṣṭadyumna, fils de Drupada, prince dompteur d’ennemis, se tint prêt pour la guerre, Yudhiṣṭhira, fils de Kuntī, s’adressa de nouveau à ce commandant, le fils de Drupada, en ces termes.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage frames warfare as duty-bound action within kshatriya-dharma, while also acknowledging destiny: Dhritadyumna sees himself as an instrument of a divinely-ordained outcome (Drona’s death). Ethically, it highlights how leaders and warriors justify violent action through duty, purpose, and perceived cosmic order.
Dhritadyumna publicly declares that he will confront the foremost Kaurava champions—Bhishma, Kripa, Drona, Shalya, and Jayadratha—claiming he was born as Drona’s destined slayer by Shiva’s will. The Pandavas respond with a triumphant lion-roar, and Yudhishthira then proceeds to address Dhritadyumna again as the army’s commander.