Shloka 21
Somadatta–Sātyaki Engagement; Bhīma’s Interventions; Droṇa–Yudhiṣṭhira Astra Exchange
Book 7, Chapter 132
सैन्धवे तु महद् द्यूतं समासक्तं परै: सह । अत्र सर्वे महाराज त्यक्त्वा जीवितमात्मन:,महाराज! सिंधुराजके ही जीवनकी बाजी लगाकर शत्रुओंके साथ हमारी भारी द्यूतक्रीड़ा चल रही है। यहाँ तुम सब लोग अपने जीवनका मोह छोड़कर रणभूमिमें विधिपूर्वक जयद्रथकी रक्षा करो। निश्चय ही उसीपर हम द्यूतक्रीड़ा करनेवालोंकी असली हार-जीत निर्भर है
saindhave tu mahad dyūtaṃ samāsaktaṃ paraiḥ saha | atra sarve mahārāja tyaktvā jīvitam ātmanaḥ |
Droṇa said: “O King, with regard to Jayadratha (the lord of Sindhu), a great game of dice—our high-stakes contest—has been joined with the enemy. Therefore, here all of you, casting aside attachment to your own lives, protect Jayadratha on the battlefield according to proper martial rule; for upon him depends the true victory or defeat of us who are engaged in this ‘wager’ of war.”
द्रोण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Droṇa frames the battle as a ‘dyūta’—a wager where everything is at stake—urging warriors to set aside fear for their own lives and fulfill disciplined martial duty to protect a key ally (Jayadratha), because the outcome of the wider conflict hinges on that single strategic point.
In the Drona Parva context of the Jayadratha episode, Droṇa addresses the Kuru leadership and troops, declaring that the enemy confrontation has become a decisive, high-stakes contest centered on Jayadratha; he commands all to defend him on the battlefield, implying that victory or defeat will turn on whether Jayadratha is successfully protected.