Shloka 70
दुर्योधन–द्रोणसंवादः
Arjuna-vīrya-prasaṃśā and renewed battle formation
“कौरव तथा पाण्डव दोनों दलोंकी सारी सेनाएँ प्रतिदिन नष्ट हो रही हैं। मुझे इसमें किसी प्रकार भी पाण्डवोंका कोई विशेष प्रभाव नहीं दिखायी देता है ।। यस्तान् बलवतो नित्यं मन्यसे त्वं द्विजाधम । यतिष्ये5हं यथाशक्ति योद्धुं तैः सह संयुगे । दुर्योधनहितार्थाय “जयो दैवे प्रतिष्ठित:,'द्विजाधम! तुम जिन्हें सदा बलवान् मानते रहते हो, उन्हींके साथ मैं संग्रामभूमिमें दुर्योधनके हितके लिये यथाशक्ति युद्ध करनेका प्रयत्न करूँगा। विजय तो दैवके अधीन है"
sañjaya uvāca |
kauravāḥ tathā pāṇḍavāḥ ubhayor dalayoḥ sarvāḥ senāḥ pratidinaṃ naśyanti | mama atra kenāpi prakāreṇa pāṇḍavānāṃ kaścid viśeṣa-prabhāvaḥ na dṛśyate ||
yas tān balavataḥ nityaṃ manyase tvaṃ dvijādhama |
yatiṣye ’haṃ yathāśakti yoddhuṃ taiḥ saha saṃyuge |
duryodhana-hitārthāya |
jayo daive pratiṣṭhitaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “Day after day, the entire armies of both the Kauravas and the Pāṇḍavas are being destroyed. In this, I do not perceive any special advantage belonging to the Pāṇḍavas by any means. O worst of Brahmins, those very warriors whom you constantly regard as mighty—against them I shall strive, to the best of my power, to fight on the battlefield for Duryodhana’s benefit. Victory, after all, rests with fate (the divine).”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse juxtaposes personal effort (yathāśakti yatiṣye) with the recognition that outcomes—especially victory in war—are not fully controllable and are said to rest with daiva (destiny/divine dispensation). It frames an ethic of doing one’s duty/role with full exertion while acknowledging the limits of agency.
Sañjaya reports that both sides’ forces are being annihilated day by day and that he sees no clear, inherent advantage for the Pāṇḍavas. He then voices a resolve to fight as best he can for Duryodhana’s cause, while remarking that victory ultimately depends on fate.