Shloka 17
द्रोणपर्व — अध्याय २७: सुशर्माह्वानम्, अर्जुनस्य प्रतिनिवर्तनम्, भगदत्तेन गजप्रहारः
स तु दोलायमानो< भूद द्वैधीभावेन पाण्डव: । वधेन तु नराग्रयाणामकरोत् तां मृषा तदा
sa tu dolāyamāno 'bhūd dvaidhībhāvena pāṇḍavaḥ | vadhena tu narāgrayāṇām akarot tāṃ mṛṣā tadā ||
Sañjaya said: Torn by inner conflict and wavering in a divided state of mind, the Pāṇḍava (Yudhiṣṭhira) then uttered that falsehood—prompted by the prospect of the slaying of the foremost of men—at that moment. The verse highlights the ethical fracture caused when the pressure of war and the desire to secure victory push even a truth-bound person toward deception.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a person devoted to truth can be shaken by extreme circumstances; war creates ethical pressure where expediency tempts one toward untruth. The verse underscores the inner cost of compromising dharma, especially when the aim is to bring down powerful opponents.
Sañjaya describes the Pāṇḍava (understood as Yudhiṣṭhira) wavering in a divided mental state and, at that moment, speaking a falsehood connected with the plan to cause the fall of leading warriors—part of the larger strategy unfolding in Droṇa Parva.