Shloka 23
Adhyāya 36: Ghora-yuddha-varṇanam
A Clinical Description of the Intensified Engagement
तस्मात् क्षिप्र॑ मद्रपते प्रयाहि रणे पञ्चालान् पाण्डवान् सृज्जयांश्व । तान् वा हनिष्यामि समेत्य संख्ये यास्यामि वा द्रोणपथा यमाय
tasmāt kṣipraṃ madrapate prayāhi raṇe pañcālān pāṇḍavān sṛñjayāṃś ca | tān vā haniṣyāmi sametya saṅkhye yāsyāmi vā droṇapathā yamāya ||
“Karena itu, wahai raja Madra, paculah cepat di medan perang menuju Pāñcāla, Pāṇḍava, dan Sṛñjaya. Hari ini, bertemu mereka dalam laga jarak dekat, aku akan membunuh mereka—atau, menapaki jalan yang ditempuh Droṇa, aku sendiri akan berangkat ke alam Yama.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of steadfast resolve in righteous combat as understood within epic warfare: one must act decisively, accept the consequences, and face death without retreat. Ethically, it frames battle as a duty-bound arena where honor is maintained either through victory or through an unflinching acceptance of death.
Sañjaya reports a warrior’s command to the king of Madra (the charioteer/ally figure) to drive swiftly toward the Pāṇḍava side—Pāñcālas, Pāṇḍavas, and Sṛñjayas—for a decisive engagement. The speaker declares an either-or outcome: he will kill them in battle, or he will die and go to Yama’s realm, ‘by Droṇa’s path,’ invoking Droṇa’s recent death as a model of battlefield end.