Shloka 6
Kṛṣṇopadeśa and Duryodhana’s Challenge
Droṇa-parva, Adhyāya 77
ग्रामारण्यानि भूतानि स्थावराणि चराणि च । त्रातार: सिन्धुराजस्य भवन्ति मधुसूदन,मधुसूदन श्रीकृष्ण! यदि साध्य, रुद्र, वसु, अश्विनीकुमार, इन्द्रसहित मरुद्गण, विश्वेदेव, देवेश्वरगण, पितर, गन्धर्व, गरुड़, समुद्र, पर्वत, स्वर्ग, आकाश, यह पृथ्वी, दिशाएँ, दिक्पाल, गाँवों तथा जंगलोंमें निवास करनेवाले प्राणी और सम्पूर्ण चराचर जीव भी सिन्धुराज जयद्रथकी रक्षाके लिये उद्यत हो जायेँ तो भी मैं सत्यकी शपथ खाकर और अपना धनुष छूकर कहता हूँ कि कल युद्धमें आप मेरे बाणोंद्वारा जयद्रथको मारा गया देखेंगे
grāmāraṇyāni bhūtāni sthāvarāṇi carāṇi ca | trātāraḥ sindhurājasya bhavanti madhusūdana ||
Arjuna declares to Kṛṣṇa (Madhusūdana) that even if every being—those dwelling in villages and forests, the immobile and the moving—were to rise as protectors of the Sindhu-king Jayadratha, it would not avert the consequence of his wrongdoing. Binding himself by truth and by the solemn touch of his bow, Arjuna vows that on the next day’s battle Kṛṣṇa will witness Jayadratha slain by Arjuna’s arrows. The passage frames a warrior’s oath as an ethical commitment: the protection of justice and the answering of grave harm with resolute, accountable action.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A solemn vow grounded in satya (truth) and kṣatriya responsibility: when grave harm has been done, one must act with unwavering resolve and accept accountability for one’s pledged course, rather than be deterred by the prospect of overwhelming opposition.
Arjuna addresses Kṛṣṇa and proclaims that even if all beings were to defend Jayadratha, he will still kill him the next day. It is a public, binding declaration of intent in the midst of the Kurukṣetra war, intensifying the urgency of the coming battle.