Shloka 46
अध्याय १ — न्यग्रोधवनोपवेशनम् तथा द्रौणिनिश्चयः
Night at the Banyan and Drauṇi’s Resolve
शत्रूणां क्षपणे युक्त: प्राप्त: कालश्न मे मतः । “इस पक्षीने युद्धमें क्या करना चाहिये, इसका उपदेश मुझे दे दिया। मैं समझता हूँ कि मेरे लिये इसी प्रकार शत्रुओंके संहार करनेका समय प्राप्त हुआ है ।। नाद्य शक््या मया हन्तुं पाण्डवा जितकाशिन:
śatrūṇāṃ kṣapaṇe yuktaḥ prāptaḥ kālaś ca me mataḥ | “is pakṣīne yuddhe meṃ kyā karanā cāhiye, iskā upadeś mujhe de diyā | maiṃ samajhtā hūṃ ki mere liye isī prakār śatrūoṃ ke saṃhār karne kā samay prāpta huā hai || nādya śakyā mayā hantuṃ pāṇḍavā jitakāśinaḥ
Sañjaya dit : «Je suis résolu à la ruine de mes ennemis ; selon mon jugement, l’heure fixée est désormais venue. Cet oiseau m’a enseigné ce qu’il convient de faire à la guerre. Je comprends que, pour moi, le moment est arrivé d’anéantir les adversaires de cette manière. Pourtant, aujourd’hui, je ne puis tuer les Pāṇḍava, eux qui ont vaincu la fatigue.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames violent action as driven by a perceived ‘right time’ (kāla) and by tactical instruction drawn even from nature (the bird). It highlights how a warrior may interpret omens/observations as authorization for decisive, destructive action—while also admitting present limitation in carrying it out against the Pāṇḍavas.
Sañjaya reports a speaker’s resolve to destroy enemies, claiming that a bird has effectively taught the proper method for warfare. The speaker concludes that the moment for enemy-slaughter has arrived, but notes that on that day he cannot yet kill the Pāṇḍavas, described as tireless or having overcome fatigue.