Shloka 15
प्रतिज्ञापारणं चापि न भविष्यति केशव । प्रतिज्ञायां च हीनायां कथं जीवेत मद्विध:,“केशव! ऐसी अवस्थामें प्रतिज्ञाकी पूर्ति नहीं हो सकेगी और प्रतिज्ञा भंग होनेपर मेरे- जैसा पुरुष कैसे जीवन धारण कर सकता है?
pratijñāpāraṇaṃ cāpi na bhaviṣyati keśava | pratijñāyāṃ ca hīnāyāṃ kathaṃ jīvet madvidhaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “Keśava, in such a situation the fulfillment of the vow will not be possible. And if a pledged word is broken, how could a man like me continue to live?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical weight of a pratijñā (solemn vow): personal honor and moral integrity are portrayed as inseparable from keeping one’s pledged word, to the point that vow-breaking is felt as life-negating for a person who values dharma.
Sañjaya addresses Keśava (Kṛṣṇa), expressing despair that circumstances will prevent the completion of a vow; he then states that if the vow fails, someone like him—who lives by honor and truth—would find life itself untenable.