Shloka 22
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 29 — Arjuna’s defeat of Vṛṣaka–Acalā and the neutralization of Śakuni’s māyā
अयुध्यमानस्तुरगान् संयन्तास्मीति चानघ । इत्युक्त्वा पुण्डरीकाक्ष प्रतिज्ञां स्वां न रक्षसि,उस समय अर्जुनके मनमें बड़ा क्लेश हुआ। उन्होंने भगवान् श्रीकृष्णसे इस प्रकार कहा--“अनघ! आपने तो प्रतिज्ञा की है कि मैं युद्ध न करके घोड़ोंको काबूमें रखूँगा-- केवल सारथिका काम करूँगा; किंतु कमलनयन! आप वैसी बात कहकर भी अपनी प्रतिज्ञाका पालन नहीं कर रहे हैं। यदि मैं संकटमें पड़ जाता अथवा अस्त्रका निवारण करनेमें असमर्थ हो जाता तो उस समय आपका ऐसा करना उचित होता। जब मैं युद्धके लिये तैयार खड़ा हूँ, तब आपको ऐसा नहीं करना चाहिये
ayudhyamānas turagān saṁyantāsmīti cānagha | ity uktvā puṇḍarīkākṣa pratijñāṁ svāṁ na rakṣasi ||
Sañjaya said: Arjuna, distressed at heart, addressed Śrī Kṛṣṇa: “O blameless one, you declared, ‘I shall not fight; I will only restrain the horses and act as charioteer.’ Yet, O lotus-eyed one, despite having spoken this vow, you are not upholding it. If I were in dire peril or unable to ward off a weapon, then such intervention by you would be fitting; but when I stand ready for battle, you should not act in a way that breaks your own pledge.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of a pratijñā (solemn vow): even a righteous goal should not casually override one’s pledged restraint. It also frames a moral boundary for intervention—help is justified in extreme necessity, but unnecessary overreach can appear as a breach of integrity.
In the midst of battle, Arjuna feels anguish and addresses Kṛṣṇa, reminding him of his earlier promise to remain only the charioteer who controls the horses and not to fight. Arjuna criticizes Kṛṣṇa for acting in a way that seems to violate that vow, conceding that such action would be appropriate only if Arjuna were helpless or in grave danger.