Shloka 313
ध्वजवर्णनम् | Dhvaja-varṇanam
Description of War Standards
मया क्ुद्धेन समरे पाण्डवार्थे निपातिताम् । “तुम कल देखोगे कि मैंने समरांगणमें कुपित होकर पाण्डुपुत्र अर्जुनके लिये सारी राजसेनाको चक्रसे चूर-चूर करके धरतीपर मार गिराया है
mayā kruddhena samare pāṇḍavārthe nipātitām |
Sañjaya said: “In the battle, I—angered—have struck down (that host) for the sake of the Pāṇḍavas.” The line conveys the grim moral tension of war: wrath becomes the driving force, yet it is claimed to be in service of a chosen cause, showing how duty and partiality are invoked to justify lethal action.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring Mahābhārata ethical problem: actions in war are often propelled by anger, yet are framed as service to a cause (here, the Pāṇḍavas). It invites reflection on whether righteous ends can remain ‘dhārmic’ when the means are driven by krodha (wrath).
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, in the heat of battle, he (or the agent he is describing through first-person report) has struck down forces ‘for the sake of the Pāṇḍavas,’ emphasizing the intensity of combat and the declared motivation behind the killing.