Shloka 20
भीष्मरक्षण-प्रकरणम् / The Protective Screen around Bhīṣma and the Śalya–Yudhiṣṭhira Clash
तैर्वाहं निहतः संख्ये गमिष्ये यमसादनम् । तान् वा निहत्य समरे प्रीति दास्याम्पहं तव,'या तो उन्हींके हाथों युद्धमें मारा जाकर मैं यमलोकका रास्ता लूँगा अथवा उन्हींको समरांगणमें मारकर मैं तुम्हें हर्ष प्रदान करूँगा
tair vāhaṁ nihataḥ saṅkhye gamiṣye yamasādanam | tān vā nihatya samare prītiṁ dāsyāmy ahaṁ tava ||
Sañjaya said: “Either I shall be struck down by them in the thick of battle and go to Yama’s abode, or, having slain them on the battlefield, I shall bring you joy.” The statement frames a stark warrior’s resolve: accepting death without complaint, yet also embracing the duty to fight decisively for the sake of one’s lord’s satisfaction.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse expresses a warrior’s ethic of steadfastness: one must accept the possibility of death in righteous combat, yet also strive to fulfill one’s obligation with courage—seeking not personal gain but the rightful satisfaction of one’s cause and leader.
Sañjaya voices a firm either–or resolve about the coming fight: he will either be killed by the opposing warriors and reach Yama’s realm, or he will kill them in battle and thereby give joy to the one he addresses (his lord).