Shloka 51
Droṇa Encircled at Night: Coalition Advance and Battlefield Omens (द्रोणपर्यावरणं रात्रियुद्धवर्णनम्)
अद्य तद्विपरीतं ते वदतो<स्मासु दृश्यते । यदि त्वं शत्रुमात्मानं मन्यसे तत्तथास्त्विह
adya tadviparītaṃ te vadato 'smāsu dṛśyate | yadi tvaṃ śatrum ātmānaṃ manyase tattathāstv iha ||
ಸಂಜಯನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—ಇಂದು ನೀನು ಹೇಳುತ್ತಿರುವುದು, ನೀನು ಹಿಂದೆ ಸ್ಥಾಪಿಸಿದ್ದ ಮಾತಿಗೆ ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣ ವಿರುದ್ಧವಾಗಿ ನಮಗೆ ಕಾಣುತ್ತದೆ. ನೀನು ಈಗ ನಿನ್ನ ಆತ್ಮವನ್ನೇ ಶತ್ರುವೆಂದು ಭಾವಿಸಿದರೆ, ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ಆಗಲಿ.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical inconsistency and inner conflict: when one’s words reverse earlier principles, it signals a breakdown of self-governance. Calling one’s own self an enemy points to self-sabotage—fear, anger, or despair turning inward—especially in the moral pressure of war.
Sañjaya, narrating events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, remarks that the addressee’s present speech contradicts their earlier position. He responds sharply: if the person truly considers their own self an enemy, then that self-defeating stance will stand—underscoring the tension and moral disarray in the unfolding battle context.