Shloka 31
धर्मरहस्योपदेशः
Dharma-rahasya Instruction: Vows, Truth, and Non-injury
हन्ताहमर्जुनं संख्ये मां वा हन्याद् धनंजय: । युद्धे मन: समाधाय याहि यत्र वृकोदर:
hantāham arjunaṃ saṅkhye māṃ vā hanyād dhanañjayaḥ | yuddhe manaḥ samādhāya yāhi yatra vṛkodaraḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : «Ou bien j’abattrai Arjuna au cœur de la mêlée, ou bien Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) m’abattra. L’esprit fermement établi dans le combat et attaché à cette résolution, va : mène le char vers l’endroit où se tient Vṛkodara (Bhīma).»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the warrior ethic of steadfast resolve: one enters battle accepting the twofold possibility—victory or death—while keeping the mind concentrated on the chosen duty. It underscores agency (firm intention) within uncertainty (the opponent may prevail), a recurring Mahābhārata tension between resolve and fate.
In the Karṇa Parva battle sequence, the speaker reports a combatant’s determination regarding Arjuna—either to kill him or be killed by him—and urges the charioteer/ally to drive toward the location of Vṛkodara (Bhīma), indicating a tactical movement toward a key front where Bhīma is engaged.