Shloka 13
जयद्रथवध-प्रतिज्ञा
Arjuna’s Vow to Neutralize Jayadratha
“हाय! जिस सुकुमार बालकको भोजन और शयन करने, सवारीपर चलने तथा भूषण, वस्त्र पहननेमें आगे रखना चाहिये था, उसे हमलोगोंने युद्धमें आगे कर दिया ।। कथं हि बालस्तरुणो युद्धानामविशारद: । सदश्च इव सम्बाधे विषमे क्षेममर्हति,“वह तरुणकुमार अभी बालक था। युद्धकी कलामें पूरा प्रवीण नहीं हुआ था। फिर गहन वनमें फँसे हुए सुन्दर अश्वकी भाँति वह उस विषम संग्राममें कैसे सकुशल रह सकता था?
sañjaya uvāca | hāya! yaḥ sukumāra-bālakaḥ bhojana-śayana-karaṇe, vāhanārohaṇe tathā bhūṣaṇa-vastra-dhāraṇe ca agre kartavya āsīt, taṃ vayaṃ yuddhe agre kṛtavantaḥ || kathaṃ hi bālas-taruṇo yuddhānām aviśāradaḥ | sadaś ca iva sambādhe viṣame kṣemam arhati ||
Sanjaya said: “Alas! The tender boy who ought to have been placed first in matters of food and rest, riding, and the wearing of ornaments and garments—we have instead put him in the forefront of battle. For how can a youthful child, unskilled in the arts of war, deserve safety in that harsh and perilous fight—like a fine horse trapped in a dense and difficult forest?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical failure of thrusting the inexperienced and vulnerable into the front line of violence. It frames war not only as a contest of strength but as a moral arena where elders and leaders bear responsibility to protect those unready for combat.
Sanjaya, narrating events to Dhritarashtra, mourns that a delicate young boy—who should have been cared for in ordinary comforts—was instead sent ahead into a dangerous battle. He doubts the boy’s ability to survive, comparing him to a fine horse trapped in a dense, perilous forest.