Shloka 78

Devanagari script

9॥ 00 )५200 0 30, :॥2:9 07 छल हम करन 477 | हा कि १ एू हक्छा अनुमानये त्वां दुर्धर्ष योत्स्ये विगतकल्मष: । जयेयं नु परान्‌ राजन्ननुज्ञातस्त्वया रिपून्‌,“दुर्धर्ष वीर! मैं पापरहित एवं निरपराध रहकर आपके साथ युद्ध करूँगा; इसके लिये आपकी अनुमति चाहता हूँ। राजन! आपकी आज्ञा पाकर मैं समस्त शत्रुओंको युद्धमें परास्त कर सकता हूँ

Transliteration

anujñāṃ yāce tvāṃ durdharṣa yotsye vigata-kalmaṣaḥ | jaye'yaṃ nu parān rājann anujñātas tvayā ripūn ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “O unconquerable hero, I ask your permission: free from sin and blame, I will fight. O King, once authorized by you, I am confident I can defeat the enemy foes.” The utterance frames warfare as an act requiring rightful sanction and inner moral clarity, emphasizing that even martial prowess seeks legitimacy through the king’s consent and the warrior’s freedom from wrongdoing.

Word by Word

• {'anujñā': 'permission, authorization', 'yāce': 'I request, I ask', 'tvām': 'you (accusative singular)', 'durdharṣa': 'hard to assail, unconquerable', 'yotsye': 'I will fight', 'vigata-kalmaṣaḥ': 'with sin removed

• free from moral taint', 'rājan': 'O king', "jaye'yaṃ (jaye yam)": 'I can conquer / I am able to win', 'parān': 'others

• here, the opposing side/enemies', 'anujñātaḥ': 'having been permitted/authorized', 'tvayā': 'by you', 'ripūn': 'enemies, foes'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• rājan (the King—Dhṛtarāṣṭra, as Sañjaya’s addressee)
• ripūn (enemies/foes)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in war, action should be grounded in dharma: the warrior seeks rightful authorization (anujñā) and asserts moral cleanliness (vigata-kalmaṣaḥ), implying that power alone is insufficient without ethical legitimacy and proper command.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Sañjaya’s report to the king, a warrior-voice (as quoted within the narration) asks the king’s permission to engage in battle, declaring readiness to fight and confidence of victory over enemies once the royal sanction is granted.