Shloka 11
ध्वजवर्णनम् | Dhvaja-varṇanam
Description of War Standards
पुत्रशोकाभिततप्तेन प्रतिज्ञातो महात्मना । सहसा सिन्धुराजस्य वधो गाण्डीवधन्चना,सब लोग इसी चिन्तामें पड़े थे कि पुत्रशोकसे संतप्त हुए गाण्डीवधारी महामना अर्जुनने सहसा सिंधुराज जयद्रथके वधकी प्रतिज्ञा कर ली है। शत्रुवीरोंका संहार करनेवाले वे महाबाहु इन्द्रकुमार अपनी उस प्रतिज्ञाको कैसे सफल करेंगे?
sañjaya uvāca |
putraśokābhitataptena pratijñāto mahātmanā |
sahasā sindhurājasya vadho gāṇḍīvadhanvanā ||
sarve lokāḥ asyāṃ cintāyāṃ patitāḥ sma—putraśokena santaptaḥ gāṇḍīvadhārī mahāmanā arjunaḥ sahasā sindhurājaṃ jayadrathaṃ hantuṃ pratijñāṃ kṛtavān iti |
śatravīrasaṃhārī sa mahābāhuḥ indrakuṃāraḥ tāṃ pratijñāṃ kathaṃ saphalayiṣyati iti ||
Dilalap duka karena putranya, Arjuna yang berhati agung, pemegang Gāṇḍīva, tiba-tiba bersumpah akan membunuh raja Sindhu, Jayadratha. Semua orang tenggelam dalam kecemasan yang sama: bagaimana putra Indra yang berlengan perkasa itu—pembinasa para kesatria musuh—akan menuntaskan sumpahnya?
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the moral weight of a warrior’s pratijñā (solemn vow): grief can ignite decisive action, but once a vow is made, honor and kṣatriya-dharma demand steadfast effort to fulfill it, even under extreme risk and public scrutiny.
After being overwhelmed by sorrow for his son (Abhimanyu), Arjuna abruptly vows to kill Jayadratha, the Sindhu king held responsible for enabling the fatal encirclement. Sanjaya reports that everyone is anxious about how Arjuna will accomplish this vow amid the ongoing battle.