Shloka 9
तैर्यतद्धिरियं सत्या श्रुता सत्यवतस्तव । प्रतिज्ञा सिन्धुराजस्य वधे राजीवलोचन,“कमलनयन! युद्धके लिये तैयार होते-होते उन कौरवोंने सदा सत्य बोलनेवाले तुम्हारी जयद्रथ-वधविषयक वह सच्ची प्रतिज्ञा सुनी
sañjaya uvāca |
tair yataddhir iyaṃ satyā śrutā satyavatas tava |
pratijñā sindhurājasya vadhe rājīvalocana ||
Sañjaya said: O lotus-eyed one, while those men were making ready, they heard your truthful vow—true to your nature—concerning the slaying of the king of Sindhu (Jayadratha). The verse underscores the ethical weight of a warrior’s pledged word: a vow grounded in truth becomes a binding force within the moral economy of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dharmic force of satya and pratijñā: a warrior’s vow, especially when rooted in truthfulness, carries moral binding power and shapes conduct in war. It implies that ethical credibility (being 'truth-speaking') makes a pledge socially and spiritually weighty.
As the opposing warriors (the Kaurava side) prepare themselves, they come to know/hear the protagonist’s solemn pledge to slay Jayadratha, the king of Sindhu. This sets the battlefield’s immediate objective and heightens the urgency around Jayadratha’s protection and impending fate.