Shloka 20
Adhyāya 113: Karṇa–Bhīma Śaravarṣa and the Battlefield Aftermath (कर्णभीमशरवर्षः)
स त्वमद्य महाबाहो प्रियार्थ मम माधव । जयार्थ च यशो<र्थ च रक्ष राजानमाहवे,“महाबाहु माधव! इसलिये तुम आज मेरा प्रिय करने, मुझे विजय दिलाने और मेरे यशकी वृद्धि करनेके लिये युद्धस्थलमें राजा युधिष्ठिरकी रक्षा करो”
sa tvam adya mahābāho priyārthaṁ mama mādhava | jayārthaṁ ca yaśo'rthaṁ ca rakṣa rājānam āhave ||
Sañjaya said: “Therefore, O mighty-armed Mādhava, today—out of regard for me, for the sake of victory, and for the increase of your renown—protect the king Yudhiṣṭhira on the battlefield.” The appeal frames protection of the righteous king as both a strategic necessity in war and a moral duty, binding personal loyalty with the larger cause of dharma.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links martial duty with ethical responsibility: safeguarding the righteous king is presented as a dharmic obligation, while also serving practical aims (victory) and social ideals (honor/renown).
Sañjaya addresses Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa), urging him to ensure Yudhiṣṭhira’s protection in the battle, emphasizing personal loyalty (“to please me”) alongside the strategic and reputational stakes of the war.