Mahabharata 7.113.16 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 113, Shloka 16
Adhyāya 113: Karṇa–Bhīma Śaravarṣa and the Battlefield Aftermath (कर्णभीमशरवर्षः)
जयद्रथं च हत्वाहं द्रुतमेष्यामि माधव । धर्मराजं न चेद् द्रोणो निगृह्लीयाद् रणे बलात्
sañjaya uvāca | jayadrathaṃ ca hatvāhaṃ drutam eṣyāmi mādhava | dharmarājaṃ na ced droṇo nigṛhṇīyād raṇe balāt ||
Sañjaya dit : «Ô Mādhava, après avoir tué Jayadratha, je reviendrai promptement—pourvu que Droṇa ne parvienne pas, par la seule force au combat, à saisir Dharmarāja et à le faire prisonnier.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a righteous vow in war must be weighed against larger dharmic and strategic consequences: the pursuit of Jayadratha is urgent, yet the potential capture of Dharmarāja would undermine the moral and political foundation of the Pāṇḍava cause.
Sañjaya reports the resolve (addressed to Kṛṣṇa as Mādhava) that after killing Jayadratha, the speaker will return quickly—unless Droṇa manages to seize Yudhiṣṭhira in battle by force, a looming danger during the day’s fighting.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.