Shloka 21
द्रोण–सात्यकि द्वैरथम्
Droṇa and Sātyaki: The Chariot Duel
न चास्मान् शरणं गच्छेत् कृष्णं वा पुरुषोत्तमम् | भवन्तं वा महाराज श्वो5स्मि हनता जयद्रथम्,अर्जुनने कहा--मैं आपलोगोंके सामने सच्ची प्रतिज्ञा करके कहता हूँ, कल जयद्रथको अवश्य मार डालूँगा। महाराज! यदि वह मारे जानेके भयसे डरकर धृतराष्ट्रपुत्रोंकी छोड़ नहीं देगा, मेरी, पुरुषोत्तम श्रीकृष्णकी अथवा आपकी शरणमें नहीं आ जायगा तो कल उसे अवश्य मार डालूँगा
na cāsmān śaraṇaṁ gacchet kṛṣṇaṁ vā puruṣottamam | bhavantaṁ vā mahārāja śvo 'smi hatvā jayadratham ||
Arjuna said: “If Jayadratha does not seek refuge—whether with us, or with Krishna the Supreme Person, or with you, O great king—then tomorrow I shall surely slay Jayadratha.” In context, this is Arjuna’s solemn vow made openly before elders and allies: he frames the killing as conditional upon Jayadratha’s refusal to abandon the Kauravas and accept lawful protection, thereby presenting his resolve as bound to a moral choice offered to the enemy even amid war.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in warfare, Arjuna articulates a conditional ethic: he offers the opponent a path of refuge and renunciation of wrongful alliance. The vow is presented not as blind vengeance but as a duty-bound resolve that still acknowledges the moral category of śaraṇa (seeking protection) and the authority of rightful guardians, including Krishna as Puruṣottama.
After the day’s events surrounding Abhimanyu’s fall and Jayadratha’s role in obstructing the Pandavas, Arjuna publicly declares a firm vow: unless Jayadratha abandons the Kauravas and seeks refuge with Arjuna’s side, with Krishna, or with the addressed king, Arjuna will kill him the next day.