Shloka 32
रात्रौ युद्धप्रवृत्तिः — Night Battle Begins; Duryodhana’s Protective Orders for Droṇa
Droṇa-parva 139
प्रतिज्ञेयं मया वृत्ता निहन्तव्यास्तु संयुगे । विकर्ण तेनासि हत: प्रतिज्ञा रक्षिता मया,वे बोले--'विकर्ण! मैंने यह प्रतिज्ञा कर रखी थी कि युद्धस्थलमें धृतराष्ट्रके सभी पुत्रोंकी मार डालूँगा। इसीलिये तुम मेरे हाथसे मारे गये हो। ऐसा करके मैंने अपनी प्रतिज्ञाका पालन किया है
pratijñeyaṁ mayā vṛttā nihantavyās tu saṁyuge | vikarṇa tenāsi hataḥ pratijñā rakṣitā mayā ||
Sañjaya said: “I had taken a vow: in battle I would slay the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Therefore, Vikarṇa, you have been killed by me. By doing so, I have upheld my pledge.” The line underscores the grim ethic of wartime vows—personal resolve is presented as binding, even when it culminates in the death of a kinsman on the battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the binding force of a warrior’s vow (pratijñā) and the harsh moral landscape of war, where fulfilling one’s pledged resolve is treated as a form of righteousness—even when it results in killing an opponent who is also a relative.
A speaker declares that Vikarṇa has been slain because the speaker had vowed to kill Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons in battle; Vikarṇa’s death is presented as the direct consequence of that vow, now claimed to be fulfilled.