Shloka 333
ध्वजवर्णनम् | Dhvaja-varṇanam
Description of War Standards
इति संकल्प्यतां बुद्धया शरीरार्द्ध ममार्जुन: । “जो अर्जुनसे द्वेष करता है, वह मुझसे द्वेष करता है और जो अर्जुनका अनुगामी है, वह मेरा अनुगामी है, तुम अपनी बुद्धिसे यह निश्चय कर लो कि अर्जुन मेरा आधा शरीर है
iti saṅkalpyatāṃ buddhyā śarīrārdhaṃ mamārjunaḥ | yo 'rjunena dveṣṭi sa mayā dveṣṭi yaś cārjunasyānugāmī sa mamānugāmī | tvaṃ buddhyā niścayaṃ kuru yathārjunaḥ mama śarīrārdham iti ||
Sañjaya said: “Let this be firmly resolved by your own understanding: Arjuna is half of my very body. Whoever bears hatred toward Arjuna bears hatred toward me; and whoever follows Arjuna follows me. Decide this clearly in your mind—Arjuna is my other half.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage teaches the ethics of allegiance: hostility or support directed at a closely bound ally is morally equivalent to hostility or support toward oneself. It frames loyalty as an extension of identity—Arjuna is treated as ‘half the body,’ making enmity toward him a direct affront to the speaker’s own person and dharmic commitment.
In the Drona Parva’s war context, Sañjaya reports a declaration meant to settle doubts about sides and loyalties. The speaker asserts an inseparable bond with Arjuna, warning that hatred toward Arjuna counts as hatred toward the speaker, and that following Arjuna is the same as following the speaker—an emphatic political and ethical alignment amid battlefield tensions.