Shloka 24
Kṛṣṇopadeśa and Duryodhana’s Challenge
Droṇa-parva, Adhyāya 77
तथाभियामि संग्रामं न जीयेयं जयामि च । तेन सत्येन संग्रामे हतं विद्धि जयद्रथम्
tathābhiyāmi saṅgrāmaṃ na jīyeyaṃ jayāmi ca | tena satyena saṅgrāme hataṃ viddhi jayadratham ||
Arjuna dit : «Ainsi j’entre dans cette bataille : je ne serai pas vaincu, et je ne recherche pas la victoire pour elle-même. Par la puissance de cette vérité, sachez que Jayadratha, dans ce combat, est comme déjà mis à mort.»
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights satya (truthfulness) as a moral force: a resolute, truthful declaration (satyavacana) is presented as spiritually and ethically potent, binding the speaker to righteous action and giving unwavering clarity of purpose in a dharmic struggle.
In the Drona Parva episode surrounding Jayadratha, Arjuna advances into battle with a solemn resolve. He invokes the force of his truth-utterance to affirm that Jayadratha’s death is certain—expressing determination to fulfill his vow and restore moral order after Jayadratha’s role in Abhimanyu’s fall.