Shloka 11
जयद्रथवधः — The Slaying of Jayadratha
Sunset Vow and Curse-Condition
अभ्याशस्थमहं मन्ये श्वेताश्वं कृष्णसारथिम् | स एष श्रुयते शब्दो गाण्डीवस्पामितौजस:,“इससे मैं समझता हूँ कि श्रीकृष्ण जिनके सारथि हैं, वे श्वेतवाहन अर्जुन हमारे निकट ही हैं, तभी यह अमित शक्तिशाली गाण्डीव धनुषकी टंकार सुनायी दे रही है
abhyāśastham ahaṃ manye śvetāśvaṃ kṛṣṇa-sārathim | sa eṣa śrūyate śabdo gāṇḍīvasya amitaujasāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “I judge that Arjuna—he whose chariot is driven by Kṛṣṇa and whose steeds are white—has come very near. For this very sound is being heard: the thunderous twang of the Gāṇḍīva bow, wielded by one of immeasurable might.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights discernment in crisis: Sañjaya infers proximity and impending action from a clear sign (the Gāṇḍīva’s twang). Ethically, it underscores how the presence of right alliance—Arjuna guided by Kṛṣṇa—becomes a source of confidence and moral force amid war.
During the Drona Parva battle, Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna, with Kṛṣṇa as charioteer and white steeds, must be close by, because the distinctive, powerful sound of Arjuna’s bow Gāṇḍīva is being heard nearby.