Shloka 17
द्रोणपर्व — अध्याय 128: दुर्योधनस्य परसेनाप्रवेशः
Duryodhana’s Incursion and the Tumult of Battle
स तु मित्रोपरोधेन गौरवात्तु महाबल: । प्रविष्टो भारतीं सेनां मकर: सागरं यथा,“उन महाबली सात्यकिने मित्रके अनुरोधसे और अपने लिये गौरवकी बात समझकर समुद्रमें मगरकी भाँति कौरवीसेनामें प्रवेश किया था
sa tu mitroparodhena gauravāt tu mahābalaḥ | praviṣṭo bhāratīṃ senāṃ makaraḥ sāgaraṃ yathā ||
Sañjaya dit : Contraint par l’ardente requête d’un ami, et y voyant une affaire d’honneur, le guerrier à la force immense pénétra dans l’ost des Kaurava—tel un makara se jetant dans la mer.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how kṣatriya-style honor (gaurava) and loyalty to a friend’s plea (mitroparodha) can become decisive moral forces, impelling courageous action even when the situation is dangerous and the odds are daunting.
Sañjaya describes the mighty Sātyaki entering the Kaurava battle formation. He does so because a friend urged him and because he considered it a point of honor, and his entry is compared to a powerful sea-creature plunging into the ocean.