Shloka 11
Droṇa’s Resolve to Restrain Yudhiṣṭhira and Arjuna’s Protective Vow (द्रोणस्य युधिष्ठिरनिग्रह-प्रयत्नः)
अथवा भरतमश्रेष्ठ निर्जित्य युधि पाण्डवान् । राज्यं सम्प्रति दत्त्वा च सौक्रात्रं कर्तुमिच्छसि,“अथवा भरतश्रेष्ठ! तुम युद्धमें पाण्डवोंको जीतकर इस समय उनका राज्य वापस दे सुन्दर भ्रातृभावका आदर्श उपस्थित करना चाहते हो
athavā bharataśreṣṭha nirjitya yudhi pāṇḍavān | rājyaṃ samprati dattvā ca saukrātraṃ kartum icchasi ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Atau, wahai yang terbaik di antara keturunan Bharata, setelah menaklukkan para Pāṇḍava di medan perang, apakah engkau hendak mengembalikan kerajaan mereka kepada mereka sekarang juga, dan menegakkan teladan luhur kasih persaudaraan?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid war, the verse highlights an ethical ideal: true nobility in kingship can include restraint and reconciliation—defeating an enemy yet restoring what was taken, embodying fraternal goodwill (saukrātra).
Sañjaya addresses a Bharata prince/king (implicitly Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s side), posing a pointed alternative: is the intention to conquer the Pāṇḍavas and then return their kingdom, thereby presenting an exemplary model of brotherly conduct?