Shloka 83
धृष्टद्युम्नस्य द्रोणरथारोহণं सात्यकेः प्रतिरक्षणं च | Dhrishtadyumna Boards Droṇa’s Chariot; Sātyaki’s Counter-Protection
आहोस्विद् भूषणार्थाय वर्म शस्त्रायुधानि व: । वाचस्तु वक्तुं संसत्सु मम पुत्रमरक्षताम्
āhosvid bhūṣaṇārthāya varma śastrāyudhāni vaḥ | vācās tu vaktuṁ saṁsatsu mama putram arakṣatām ||
Sañjaya said: “Were your coats of mail and weapons meant only for ornament? For your words—your ability to speak in the assemblies—did not protect my son.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts outward power (armor and weapons) and social power (eloquence in assemblies) with real protection and responsibility. It implies that mere display—whether martial equipment or persuasive speech—cannot substitute for effective action, prudent counsel, and ethical leadership when consequences arrive.
Sañjaya, reporting the war’s grim developments, speaks in a tone of bitter irony: he questions whether the Kauravas’ arms were only decorative, since their influence and speech in courtly councils failed to safeguard ‘my son’—i.e., the king’s son—amid the calamities of battle.