Shloka 16
ध्वजवर्णनम् | Dhvaja-varṇanam
Description of War Standards
जित्वा रिपुगणांश्वैव पारयत्वर्जुनो व्रतम् । श्वो5हत्वा सिन्धुराजं वै धूमकेतु प्रवेक्ष्यति,अर्जुन शत्रुओंको जीतकर अपना व्रत पूरा करें। यदि वे कल सिंधुराजको न मार सके तो अग्निमें प्रवेश कर जायँगे। कुन्तीकुमार धनंजय अपनी बात झूठी नहीं कर सकते। यदि अर्जुन मर गये तो धर्मपुत्र युधिष्ठिर कैसे राजा होंगे?
jitvā ripu-gaṇāṁś caiva pārayatv arjuno vratam | śvo hatvā sindhu-rājaṁ vai dhūma-ketuṁ pravekṣyati ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Setelah menaklukkan gerombolan musuh, hendaklah Arjuna menuntaskan ikrarnya. Jika besok ia tidak membunuh raja Sindhu, ia sungguh akan memasuki api yang menyala laksana komet berasap.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dharmic weight of a vowed word: for a kṣatriya like Arjuna, truthfulness and honor are binding even at the cost of life. A vow is not mere rhetoric; it creates moral obligation and shapes political legitimacy (Yudhiṣṭhira’s rule depends on Arjuna’s survival and success).
After Arjuna has vowed to kill Jayadratha (the Sindhu king) by the next day or enter fire, Sañjaya reports the gravity of that pledge: Arjuna must defeat enemy forces and complete the vow by slaying Jayadratha; otherwise he will perform self-immolation, which would endanger the Pāṇḍavas’ cause and Yudhiṣṭhira’s future kingship.