Shloka 11
महाव्यूहप्रवर्तनम् / Deployment of the Great Battle Arrays
रणे तवार्थाय महानुभाव न जीवितं रक्ष्यतमं ममाद्य | सर्वास्तवार्थाय सदेवदैत्यान् घोरान् दहेयं किमु शत्रुसेनाम्
raṇe tavārthāya mahānubhāva na jīvitaṁ rakṣyatamaṁ mamādya | sarvāstavārthāya sadevadaityān ghorān daheyaṁ kimu śatrusenām ||
Sañjaya said: “O great-souled one, for your sake in this battle, my life is not something I would now seek to preserve. For your sake I would burn up even the dreadful hosts of Daityas together with the gods—how much more, then, this army of enemies.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights unwavering loyalty and readiness for self-sacrifice in service of one’s chosen cause or leader, expressed through deliberate hyperbole: if one would face even gods and Daityas for that purpose, ordinary foes are certainly not to be feared.
Sañjaya, speaking within the war narrative, declares an intense resolve to act for the addressed ‘great-souled’ person’s benefit in battle, asserting he would not prioritize his own life and would destroy even superhuman forces—thereby emphasizing confidence and commitment against the enemy host.