Shloka 9
यो होक: पाण्डवैर्युध्येद् यो वा युध्यन्तमुत्सूजेत् । स पज्चभिर्भवेद् युक्त: पातकैश्नोपपातकै:,“हमलोगोंमेंसे कोई एक योद्धा अकेला रहकर किसी तरह भी पाण्डवोंके साथ युद्ध न करे। जो अकेला ही पाण्डवोंके साथ युद्ध करेगा अथवा जो पाण्डवोंके साथ जूझते हुए वीरको अकेला छोड़ देगा, वह पाँच पातकों और उपपातकोंसे युक्त होगा
yo hokaḥ pāṇḍavair yudhyed yo vā yudhyantam utsṛjet | sa pañcabhir bhaved yuktaḥ pātakaiś copapātakaiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “Whoever among us fights the Pāṇḍavas alone, or whoever abandons a warrior who is already engaged in battle, becomes tainted—bound by the guilt of the five great sins and also by the lesser sins. Thus, in this war, one must not seek solitary combat nor desert a comrade in the midst of fighting.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames two battlefield failures as moral transgressions: reckless solitary engagement against the Pāṇḍavas and, more seriously, deserting an ally already fighting. It emphasizes solidarity, disciplined conduct, and responsibility to comrades as part of righteous war-behavior.
In the Shalya Parva war setting, Sañjaya reports a stern directive meant to regulate the Kaurava side’s conduct: no warrior should fight the Pāṇḍavas alone, and no one should abandon a comrade mid-combat—both acts are declared sinful, carrying heavy moral blame.