Shloka 49
अर्जुनस्य सैन्धवाभिमुखगमनम् तथा विन्दानुविन्दयोर्वधः
Arjuna’s advance toward Saindhava and the fall of Vinda–Anuvinda
यदि विशति रसातलं तदग्र्यं वियदपि देवपुरं दिते: पुरं वा तदपि शरशतैरहं प्रभाते भूशमभिमन्युरिपो: शिरोडभिहर्ता
yadi viśati rasātalaṁ tadagryaṁ viyad api devapuraṁ diteḥ puraṁ vā | tad api śaraśatair ahaṁ prabhāte bhūśam abhimanyuripoḥ śiro ’bhihartā ||
Arjuna dit : «Quand bien même il entrerait dans Rasātala, le plus profond des mondes souterrains, ou s’élèverait aux plus hautes régions du ciel—jusqu’à la cité des dieux, voire jusqu’à la cité de Diti—à l’aube je trancherai la tête de l’ennemi d’Abhimanyu sous des centaines de flèches. Nul refuge, ni en bas ni en haut, ne le soustraira à la juste conséquence de son forfait.»
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights unwavering resolve in pursuing justice within the warrior-ethic: wrongdoing—especially treacherous killing in war—cannot be escaped by hiding in any realm. It frames retribution as an inevitable moral consequence rather than mere personal anger.
Arjuna declares a vow to kill (behead) Abhimanyu’s enemy at dawn, asserting that even if the foe flees to the underworld or to celestial/asuric cities, Arjuna will still reach and punish him with a storm of arrows.