Shloka 16
Kṛṣṇopadeśa and Duryodhana’s Challenge
Droṇa-parva, Adhyāya 77
क्रव्यादांस्तर्पयिष्यामि द्रावयिष्यामि शात्रवान् । सुहृदो नन्दयिष्यामि प्रमथिष्यामि सैन्धवम्,कल मैं मांसभोजी प्राणियोंको तृप्त कर दूँगा, शत्रु-सैनिकोंको मार भगाऊँगा, सुहृदोंको आनन्द प्रदान करूँगा और सिन्धुराज जयद्रथको मथ डालूँगा
arjuna uvāca | kravyādāṁs tarpayiṣyāmi drāvayiṣyāmi śātravān | suhṛdo nandayiṣyāmi pramathiṣyāmi saindhavam ||
Arjuna said: “Tomorrow I shall glut the flesh-eating creatures with their fill, rout the enemy host, bring joy to my well-wishers, and crush Jayadratha, the king of Sindhu.” In the ethical frame of the war, Arjuna’s vow expresses fierce resolve directed toward a specific wrongdoer, while also presenting his action as protection and reassurance for allies rather than mere bloodlust.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the warrior-ethic of steadfast resolve: violence is framed as purposeful and accountable—aimed at restraining wrongdoing and restoring confidence among one’s allies—rather than as indiscriminate cruelty.
Arjuna declares a forceful vow for the next day’s battle: he will rout the enemy forces and specifically destroy Jayadratha (the Sindhu king), while reassuring and heartening his own side.