Shloka 36
यदि नोीत्तिष्ठति जय: पिता मे नरसत्तम: । अस्मिन्नेव रणोद्देशे शोषयिष्ये कलेवरम्,“यदि मेरे पिता नरश्रेष्ठ अर्जुन आज जीवित हो पुनः उठकर खड़े नहीं हो जाते तो मैं इस रणभूमिमें ही उपवास करके अपने शरीरको सुखा डालूँगा
yadi no tiṣṭhati jayaḥ pitā me narasattamaḥ | asminneva raṇoddeśe śoṣayiṣye kalevaram ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “If my father—the best of men, Arjuna, the victorious one—does not rise again alive, then on this very field of battle I shall dry up my body by fasting.” The utterance conveys a vow born of filial devotion and grief, turning personal anguish into a severe ethical resolve (tapas) at the very site of violence.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how intense personal bonds and grief can crystallize into a vow of austerity (tapas). Ethically, it shows a mind seeking moral leverage—through self-discipline rather than further violence—when confronted with the possible loss of a revered protector.
A speaker, reported by Vaiśampāyana, declares that if Arjuna (called ‘the victorious’ and ‘best of men’) does not rise alive, he will undertake a fast unto bodily wasting on the very battlefield—an extreme response to the crisis surrounding Arjuna’s condition.