Shloka 35
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 125: Duryodhana’s despair and vow after Jayadratha’s fall (जयद्रथवधे दुर्योधनविलापः)
तमभिद्र॒त्य शैनेयो मुहूर्तमिव भारत । न जघान महाबाहुर्भीमसेनवच: स्मरन्,भारत! उस समय महाबाहु सात्यकिने लगभग दो घड़ीतक दुःशासनका पीछा किया; परंतु भीमसेनकी बात याद आ जानेसे उसका वध नहीं किया
tam abhidrutya śaineyo muhūrtam iva bhārata | na jaghāna mahābāhur bhīmasena-vacaḥ smaran ||
Sañjaya said: O Bhārata, having charged after him, Śaineya pursued for what seemed like a brief while; yet that mighty-armed warrior did not strike him down, for he remembered Bhīmasena’s words. In the midst of battle, personal restraint and fidelity to an ally’s resolve check the impulse to kill, even when victory is within reach.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in a lethal battlefield, dharma can appear as restraint: a warrior may refrain from killing when bound by an ally’s prior words, vow, or strategic-moral commitment. Loyalty and self-control can override immediate advantage.
Sātyaki (Śaineya) rushes after his target and pursues him for a short time, but he does not kill him because he recalls Bhīma’s instruction—implying that the right to slay that foe (or the decision to do so) has been reserved for Bhīma.