Shloka 17
Droṇa’s Resolve to Restrain Yudhiṣṭhira and Arjuna’s Protective Vow (द्रोणस्य युधिष्ठिरनिग्रह-प्रयत्नः)
सत्यप्रतिज्ञे त्वानीते पुनर्ययूतेन निर्जिते । पुनर्यास्यन्त्यरण्याय पाण्डवास्तमनुव्रता:,'सत्यप्रतिज्ञ राजा युधिष्ठिरको जीते-जी पकड़ ले आनेपर यदि उन्हें पुनः जूएमें जीत लिया जाय तो उनमें भक्ति रखनेवाले पाण्डव पुनः वनमें चले जायँगे
satyapratijñe tvānīte punar yūte na nirjite | punar yāsyanty araṇyāya pāṇḍavās tam anuvratāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “If King Yudhiṣṭhira—true to his vow—has been brought back, and if he is again defeated in the game of dice, then the Pāṇḍavas, devoted to him and faithful to that pledge, will once more depart for the forest.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of a vow: Yudhiṣṭhira’s identity as satyapratijña (true to his pledge) binds not only him but also his followers. Loyalty (anuvrata) is shown as adherence to a chosen dharmic commitment even when it leads to hardship such as renewed exile.
Sañjaya describes a conditional outcome: if Yudhiṣṭhira is brought back and then again loses in a dice match, the Pāṇḍavas—committed to him and to the terms of the pledge—will return to the forest, repeating the pattern of exile caused by gambling defeat.