Shloka 40
अर्जुनस्य सैन्धवाभिमुखगमनम् तथा विन्दानुविन्दयोर्वधः
Arjuna’s advance toward Saindhava and the fall of Vinda–Anuvinda
एककूपोदकग्रामे वेदध्वनिविवर्जिते । षण्मासं तत्र वसतां तथा शास्त्र विनिन्दताम्,जो ब्राह्मण होकर सर्दीसे और क्षत्रिय होकर युद्धसे डरते हैं, जिस गाँवमें एक ही कुएँका जल पीया जाता हो और जहाँ कभी वेदमन्त्रोंकी ध्वनि न हुई हो, ऐसे स्थानोंमें जो छः: महीनोंतक निवास करते हैं, जो शास्त्रकी निन्दामें तत्पर रहते, दिनमें मैथुन करते और सोते हैं, जो दूसरोंके घरोंमें आग लगाते और दूसरोंको जहर दे देते हैं, जो कभी अग्निहोत्र और अतिथि-सत्कार नहीं करते तथा गायोंके पानी पीनेमें विघ्न डालते हैं, जो रजस्वला सत्रीका सेवन करते और शुल्क लेकर कन्या देते हैं, जो बहुतोंकी पुरोहिती करते, ब्राह्मण होकर सेवा-वृत्तिसे जीविका चलाते, मुँहमें मैथुन करते अथवा दिनमें स्त्री-सहवास करते हैं, जो ब्राह्मणको कुछ देनेकी प्रतिज्ञा करके फिर लोभवश नहीं देते हैं, उन सबको जिन लोकों अथवा दुर्गतिकी प्राप्ति होती है, उन्हींको मैं भी प्राप्त होऊँ; यदि कलतक जयद्रथको न मार डालूँ
arjuna uvāca | ekakūpodakagrāme vedadhvanivivarjite | ṣaṇmāsaṃ tatra vasatāṃ tathā śāstra-vinindatām | ye brāhmaṇāḥ śītatrastāḥ kṣatriyā yuddhabhīravaḥ | divā maithuninaḥ suptāḥ paragehāgnidāyakāḥ | paraṃ viṣaṃ prayacchanti nāgnīhotrā na cātithīn | gavāṃ pāne vighna-karā rajasvalā-niṣeviṇaḥ | śulkadāḥ kanyadāś caiva bahupaurahitāś ca ye | brāhmaṇāḥ sevayā jīvanti mukhamaithuninaś ca ye | brāhmaṇebhyo dadāmīti pratijñāya na dadati | teṣāṃ lokān avāpnomi yadi śvo na jayadratham |
Arjuna said: “If by tomorrow I do not slay Jayadratha, then may I attain the very same worlds—indeed the same ruinous fate—that befalls those who live for six months in a village where all drink from a single well and where the sound of Vedic recitation is absent; those who are intent on reviling the śāstras; those who, though Brahmins, are afraid of winter, and those who, though Kṣatriyas, are afraid of battle; those who indulge in sexual acts by day and sleep by day; those who set fire to others’ houses and administer poison; those who never perform the Agnihotra nor honor guests; those who obstruct cattle from drinking water; those who consort with a menstruating woman; those who give a maiden in marriage for a fee; those who serve as priests for many; those Brahmins who live by servile employment; those who commit perverse sexual acts; and those who promise gifts to Brahmins and then, out of greed, do not give.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a warrior’s vow in moral terms: failure to fulfill a righteous, publicly undertaken commitment is treated as spiritually disastrous. It also reinforces that dharma is measured by conduct—especially truthfulness, non-harm, ritual responsibility, and social ethics—rather than by mere status.
In the aftermath of Abhimanyu’s death and Jayadratha’s role in trapping him, Arjuna takes a fierce vow to kill Jayadratha by the next day. To underscore the seriousness of his pledge, he invokes a catalogue of condemned behaviors and declares that he deserves the same fate as such wrongdoers if he fails.