Shloka 20
जयद्रथवध-प्रतिज्ञा
Arjuna’s Vow to Neutralize Jayadratha
क्षुद्र: क्षुद्रसहायश्न स्वपक्षक्षयमातुर: । व्यक्त दुर्योधनो दृष्टयवा शोचन् हास्यति जीवितम्,“दुर्योधन नीच है। उसके सहायक भी ओछे स्वभावके हैं, अतः वह निश्चय ही (अर्जुनके हाथों) अपने पक्षका विनाश देखकर शोकसे व्याकुल हो जीवनका परित्याग कर देगा
kṣudraḥ kṣudra-sahāyaś ca sva-pakṣa-kṣayam āturaḥ | vyaktaṃ duryodhano dṛṣṭvā śocan hāsyati jīvitam ||
Sañjaya said: “Petty in spirit, and supported by petty companions, Duryodhana—tormented at heart—will, on clearly seeing the destruction of his own side, sink into grief and abandon his hold on life.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical consequence of ignoble character and ignoble counsel: when leadership is driven by pettiness and surrounded by base support, it collapses under the weight of its own wrongdoing, leading to despair when the results become undeniable.
Sañjaya describes Duryodhana’s likely reaction as the Kaurava side faces clear ruin in the war: seeing his own faction’s destruction, Duryodhana will be overwhelmed by grief and lose the will to live.