Shloka 19
Kṛṣṇopadeśa and Duryodhana’s Challenge
Droṇa-parva, Adhyāya 77
तथा प्रभाते कर्तास्मि यथा कृष्ण सुयोधन: । नान्यं धनुर्थरं लोके मंस्यते मत्समं युधि,श्रीकृष्ण! मैं कल सबेरे ऐसा युद्ध करूँगा, जिससे दुर्योधन रणक्षेत्रके भीतर संसारके दूसरे किसी धनुर्धरको मेरे समान नहीं मानेगा
tathā prabhāte kartāsmi yathā kṛṣṇa suyodhanaḥ | nānyaṃ dhanurdharaṃ loke maṃsyate matsamaṃ yudhi ||
Arjuna said: “So, at daybreak, O Kṛṣṇa, I shall fight in such a way that Suyodhana (Duryodhana) will no longer regard any other bowman in the world as equal to me in battle.” In this vow Arjuna asserts his martial dharma as a kṣatriya, seeking to restore moral balance on the battlefield by demonstrating unmatched prowess under Kṛṣṇa’s guidance.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma expressed as a disciplined vow: Arjuna commits to decisive action at the proper time (dawn) and to upholding honor through excellence in battle, while implicitly relying on Kṛṣṇa’s guidance rather than mere pride.
In the Drona Parva’s intense phase of the Kurukṣetra war, Arjuna addresses Kṛṣṇa and declares that at daybreak he will fight so powerfully that Duryodhana will no longer consider any other archer in the world equal to Arjuna.