Shloka 17
Bhūriśravas–Sātyaki Saṃvāda and Duel; Arjuna’s Intervention (भूरिश्रवाः–सात्यकि संवादः, युद्धम्, अर्जुन-हस्तक्षेपः)
(न चाजित्वा रणे होतान् शक: प्राप्तुं जयद्रथ: । नापि पार्थों मया सूत शक््य: प्राप्तुं कथंचन ।। एते तिष्ठन्ति सहिता: सर्वविद्यासु निषछ्िता: ।।) 'सूत! इन्हें रणमें परास्त किये बिना न तो जयद्रथको प्राप्त किया जा सकता है और न किसी प्रकार अर्जुन ही मुझे मिल सकते हैं। ये समस्त विद्याओंमें प्रवीण योद्धा एक साथ संगठित होकर खड़े हैं। राजपुत्रा महेष्वासा: सर्वे विक्रान्तयोधिन: । त्रिगर्तानां रथोदारा: सुवर्णविकृतध्वजा:,'ये त्रिगर्तदेशके उदार महारथी राजकुमार महान धनुर्धर हैं और सभी पराक्रमपूर्वक युद्ध करनेवाले हैं। इन सबकी ध्वजा सुवर्णमयी है
sañjaya uvāca |
na cājitvā raṇe hūtān śakaḥ prāptuṁ jayadrathaḥ |
nāpi pārtho mayā sūta śakyaḥ prāptuṁ kathaṁcana ||
ete tiṣṭhanti sahitāḥ sarvavidyāsu niṣṭhitāḥ ||
rājaputrā maheṣvāsāḥ sarve vikrāntayodhinaḥ |
trigartānāṁ rathodārāḥ suvarṇavikṛtadhvajāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “O charioteer, unless these warriors who have been summoned to battle are first defeated in the fight, Jayadratha cannot be reached; nor can Arjuna be attained by me in any way. Here they stand together, firmly grounded in every martial discipline—royal princes, great bowmen, all valiant fighters: the noble chariot-warriors of the Trigartas, bearing banners adorned with gold.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights a practical ethic of warfare: objectives cannot be pursued by wish or bravado alone; one must first address the immediate, organized resistance. It underscores disciplined competence (sarvavidyāsu niṣṭhitāḥ) and the reality that even great heroes are constrained by tactical conditions on the battlefield.
Sañjaya reports that a united body of Trigarta princes—expert, courageous chariot-warriors with gold-adorned banners—stand as a barrier. He states that without first defeating these summoned fighters, neither can Jayadratha be reached nor can Arjuna be engaged/obtained in combat.