Shloka 356
Adhyāya 113: Karṇa–Bhīma Śaravarṣa and the Battlefield Aftermath (कर्णभीमशरवर्षः)
प्रतिज्ञामात्मनो रक्षन् सत्यां कर्तु च भारत | “भरतवंशी नरेश! द्रोणाचार्य आपको कैद करनेकी बड़ी इच्छा रखते हैं। वे अपनी प्रतिज्ञाकी रक्षा करते हुए उसे सत्य कर दिखाना चाहते हैं
pratijñām ātmano rakṣan satyāṁ kartuṁ ca bhārata | bharatavaṁśī nareśa! droṇācārya āpako kaida karane kī baṛī icchā rakhate haiṁ | ve apanī pratijñā kī rakṣā karate hue use satya kara dikhānā cāhate haiṁ |
Sanjaya said: “O Bharata, intent on safeguarding his own vow and making it come true, Dronacharya is strongly determined to take you captive. He seeks to uphold his pledged word and prove it true in the midst of this war.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical weight of a pratijñā (solemn vow): a warrior-leader is portrayed as striving to protect his pledged word and make it true, suggesting that personal honor and truthfulness are treated as binding duties even amid violent conflict.
Sanjaya informs the Kuru king (addressed as ‘Bharata’) that Dronacharya is determined to capture him, driven by the desire to fulfill a specific vow; Drona’s military action is framed as an attempt to realize and vindicate his promise.