Shloka 13
धृतराष्ट्रस्य संजयप्रश्नः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Inquiry to Saṃjaya on Strategic Comparisons
एवं प्रतिष्ठाप्प धनंजयो मां ततोडर्थवद् धर्मवच्चापि वाक्यम् | प्रोवाचेदं वासुदेवं समीक्ष्य पार्थों धीमॉल्लोहितान्तायताक्ष:
evaṁ pratiṣṭhāpya dhanañjayo māṁ tato ’rthavad dharmavac cāpi vākyam | provācedaṁ vāsudevaṁ samīkṣya pārtho dhīmāṁ lohitāntāyatākṣaḥ || śarāgnidhūme rathaneminādite dhanuḥkhuveṇāstrabalaprasāriṇā | yathā na homaḥ kriyate mahāmṛdhe sametya sarve prayatadhvam ādṛtāḥ ||
Demikianlah setelah meneguhkan hatiku, Dhanañjaya mengucapkan kata-kata yang sarat maksud dan selaras dengan dharma. Menatap Vāsudeva dengan saksama, Pārtha yang bijaksana—dengan sudut mata memerah dan pandangan lebar—berkata: “Wahai para raja! Pertempuran besar ini laksana yajña: asap api ialah kabut yang terbit dari benturan anak panah; gemuruh roda kereta menjadi bunyi mantra-mantra Weda; dan busur adalah sendok persembahan yang melemparkan ‘sesaji’ dengan daya senjata. Maka berjuanglah bersama, kalian semua, dengan hormat dan kesungguhan, agar aku tidak dipaksa melakukan ‘persembahan’ berupa bala tentara Kaurava.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames war through the ethical lens of dharma: even when conflict becomes unavoidable, it should be approached with sober purpose and collective effort to prevent needless slaughter. By casting battle as a distorted ‘sacrifice,’ it underscores the gravity of violence and the responsibility to exhaust prudent measures so that destruction does not become the default offering.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna, after steadying Sañjaya (or having been steadied in the exchange) and then looking at Kṛṣṇa, speaks to assembled kings. He uses an extended yajña metaphor—arrows as fire and smoke, chariot-noise as Vedic chant, the bow as the ladle—to urge earnest, united effort so that he will not have to ‘offer’ the Kaurava forces in the great battle.