Shloka 26
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 96: Sātyaki’s Line-Penetration, Encirclement, and Advance toward Arjuna
राजा शूर: कृती दक्षो वैरमुत्पाद्य पाण्डवै: । वीर स्वयं प्रयाह्वात्र यत्र पार्थो धनंजय:,त्वरन्नेकरथेनैव समेत्य द्रोणमब्रवीत् । संजय कहते हैं--राजन्! तदनन्तर जब कुन्तीकुमार अर्जुन सिन्धुराज जयद्रथका वध करनेकी इच्छासे द्रोणाचार्य और कृतवर्माका दुस्तर सेना-व्यूह भेदन करके आपकी सेनामें प्रविष्ट हो गये और सव्यसाची अर्जुनके हाथसे जब काम्बोजराजकुमार सुदक्षिण तथा पराक्रमी श्रुतायुध मार दिये गये तथा जब सारी सेनाएँ नष्ट-भ्रष्ट होकर चारों ओर भाग खड़ी हुईं, उस समय अपनी सम्पूर्ण सेनामें भगदड़ मची देख आपका पुत्र दुर्योधन बड़ी उतावलीके साथ एकमात्र रथके द्वारा द्रोणाचार्यके पास गया और उनसे मिलकर इस प्रकार बोला-- तुम राजा, शूरवीर, विद्वान् और युद्धकुशल हो। वीर! तुमने ही पाण्डवोंके साथ वैर बाँधा है। अतः जहाँ कुन्तीकुमार अर्जुन गये हैं, वहाँ उनसे युद्ध करनेके लिये स्वयं ही शीघ्रतापूर्वक जाओ
sañjaya uvāca |
rājā śūraḥ kṛtī dakṣo vairam utpādya pāṇḍavaiḥ |
vīra svayaṃ prayāhvātra yatra pārtho dhanañjayaḥ |
tvarann ekarathe naiva sametya droṇam abravīt ||
Sañjaya said: O King, your son Duryodhana—valiant, capable, and skilled—having himself provoked enmity with the Pāṇḍavas, hurried alone in a single chariot to meet Droṇa. Reaching him, he spoke: “You are a king, a hero, wise and expert in war; you yourself have taken up this hostility against the Pāṇḍavas. Therefore go at once, yourself, to fight there where Pārtha Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) has gone.” Ethically, the verse highlights how a leader’s chosen hostility (vaira) binds him to escalating violence, and how urgency and pride can drive decisions that intensify collective destruction rather than restrain it.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral weight of deliberately cultivating hostility (vaira): once enmity is chosen and intensified by leaders, it compels further violence and rash decisions. It also shows how pride and urgency can override restraint, pushing commanders toward escalation rather than reconciliation.
After Arjuna’s fierce advance (as described in the surrounding passage), Duryodhana, seeing disorder in his forces, rushes alone in a single chariot to Droṇa and urges him to go quickly to confront Arjuna where he is fighting.