Shloka 15
Yudhiṣṭhira–Droṇa Saṃgrāma
Engagement and Countermeasures
प्रतिज्ञापारणं चापि न भविष्यति केशव । प्रतिज्ञायां च हीनायां कथं जीवेत मद्विध:,“केशव! ऐसी अवस्थामें प्रतिज्ञाकी पूर्ति नहीं हो सकेगी और प्रतिज्ञा भंग होनेपर मेरे- जैसा पुरुष कैसे जीवन धारण कर सकता है?
pratijñāpāraṇaṃ cāpi na bhaviṣyati keśava | pratijñāyāṃ ca hīnāyāṃ kathaṃ jīvet madvidhaḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Keśava, dalam keadaan seperti ini pemenuhan ikrar itu tidak akan mungkin. Dan bila janji suci itu patah, bagaimana orang sepertiku dapat terus hidup?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical weight of a pratijñā (solemn vow): personal honor and moral integrity are portrayed as inseparable from keeping one’s pledged word, to the point that vow-breaking is felt as life-negating for a person who values dharma.
Sañjaya addresses Keśava (Kṛṣṇa), expressing despair that circumstances will prevent the completion of a vow; he then states that if the vow fails, someone like him—who lives by honor and truth—would find life itself untenable.