Shloka 17
सैन्धवविक्रमवर्णनम् / Description of Jayadratha’s Martial Display
पाण्डवेयानहं संख्ये भीमवीर्यपराक्रमान् | वारयेयं रथेनैक: समस्तानिति भारत,अभ्यद्रवन् परीप्सन्तो व्यूढानीका: प्रहारिण: । संजयने कहा--राजन! युधिष्ठिर, भीमसेन, शिखण्डी, सात्यकि, नकुल-सहदेव, धष्टद्युम्न, विराट, द्रपद, केकय-राजकुमार, रोषमें भरा हुआ धृष्टकेतु तथा मत्स्यदेशीय योद्धा --ये सब-के-सब युद्धस्थलमें आगे बढ़े। अभिमन्युके ताऊ, चाचा तथा मामागण अपनी सेनाको व्यूहद्वारा संगठित करके प्रहार करनेके लिये उद्यत हो अभिमन्युकी रक्षाके लिये उसीके बनाये हुए मार्गसे व्यूहमें जानेके उद्देश्यसे एक साथ दौड़ पड़े 'प्रभो! मैं युद्धमें भयंकर बल-पराक्रमसे सम्पन्न समस्त पाण्डवोंको अकेला ही रथके द्वारा परास्त करके आगे बढ़नेसे रोक दूँ"। भारत! उसके ऐसा कहनेपर देवेश्वर भगवान् शिवने जयद्रथसे कहा--'सौम्य! मैं तुम्हें वर देता हूँ। तुम कुन्तीपुत्र अर्जुनको छोड़कर शेष चार पाण्डवोंको (एक दिन) युद्धमें आगे बढ़नेसे रोक दोगे।” तब देवेश्वर महादेवसे “एवमस्तु' कहकर राजा जयद्रथ जाग उठा
sañjaya uvāca |
pāṇḍaveyān ahaṃ saṅkhye bhīmavīryaparākramān |
vārayeyaṃ rathenāikaḥ samastān iti bhārata |
abhydravan parīpsanto vyūḍhānīkāḥ prahāriṇaḥ |
Sañjaya said: “O Bhārata (Dhṛtarāṣṭra), in the midst of battle I would, single-handed in my chariot, hold back all the Pāṇḍava warriors—men of Bhīma’s might and heroic prowess.” With that resolve, the striking warriors—having arrayed their forces in battle-formation—rushed forward together, intent on entering the formation by the very path that had been made, in order to accomplish their purpose. The verse underscores a recurring ethical tension of the war: confidence and vows of martial restraint are proclaimed as ‘dharma’ of the kṣatriya, yet they also become instruments for trapping, delaying, or isolating opponents within the larger strategy of adharma-tinged warfare.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how martial confidence and vows to restrain opponents—often framed as kṣatriya duty—can serve strategic ends in war. It invites reflection on the ethical ambiguity of battlefield ‘dharma’: courage and resolve are praised, yet their deployment may contribute to deception, isolation of foes, and escalation of violence.
Sañjaya reports a declaration that one warrior, alone in a chariot, will stop the powerful Pāṇḍavas from advancing. Immediately after, the attacking forces—arrayed in formation—charge forward together, intent on entering the battle-array by a particular route to achieve their objective.