Shloka 10
Adhyāya 40 (Book 7, Droṇa-parva): Abhimanyu’s Rapid Advance and Battlefield Disruption
न हि मे मोक्ष्यसे जीवन् यदि नोत्सृजसे रणम् | एवमुकक््त्वा महाबाहुर्बाणं दुःशासनान्तकम्
na hi me mokṣyase jīvan yadi notsṛjase raṇam | evam uktvā mahābāhur bāṇaṃ duḥśāsanāntakam ||
Sanjaya berkata: “Engkau takkan lolos dariku hidup-hidup, jika engkau tidak meninggalkan medan laga.” Setelah berkata demikian, sang kesatria berlengan perkasa melepaskan sebuah anak panah yang ditakdirkan menjadi pemusnah Duhśāsana.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh moral logic of battlefield dharma: a warrior’s threat makes withdrawal the only path to survival, showing how speech, vow-like resolve, and action intertwine in war—where ethical choices are constrained by duty, enmity, and the accepted norms of combat.
Sañjaya narrates a moment in which a mighty warrior warns his opponent that he will not be spared unless he quits the fight, and then immediately shoots an arrow described as ‘Duḥśāsana’s end-bringer,’ signaling an imminent, targeted attempt on Duḥśāsana’s life.