Shloka 13
द्रोणानीक-व्यतिक्रमः — Kṛṣṇa–Arjuna Break Through Droṇa’s Array
मामसौ पुत्रहन्तेति श्वोडईभियाता धनंजय: । प्रतिज्ञातो हि सेनाया मध्ये तेन वधो मम,“राजन! मुझे अपने पुत्रका घातक समझकर अर्जुन कल सबेरे मुझपर आक्रमण करनेवाला है; क्योंकि उसने अपनी सेनाके बीचमें मेरे वधकी प्रतिज्ञा की है
mām asau putra-hanteti śvoḍaśībhiyātā dhanañjayaḥ | pratijñāto hi senāyā madhye tena vadho mama |
Sañjaya said: “O King, thinking of me as the slayer of his son, Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) will come against me tomorrow at dawn. For, in the midst of his army, he has vowed to bring about my death.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the binding moral force of a warrior’s vow (pratijñā) in the epic: once publicly declared before one’s troops, it becomes a matter of honor and dharma to pursue it, even when driven by grief and the desire for retribution.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna, believing the speaker to be responsible for his son’s death, has publicly vowed in the army’s presence to kill him and will therefore attack at dawn the next day.