Mahabharata 7.39.13 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 39, Shloka 13
अभिमन्युना दुःशासनस्य ताडनम्
Abhimanyu’s Rebuke and Wounding of Duḥśāsana; Karṇa’s Counter-volley
नास्य युद्धे सम॑ मन्ये कंचिदन्यं धनुर्थरम् । इच्छन् हन्यादिमां सेनां किमर्थमपि नेच्छति
nāsyā yuddhe samaṁ manye kaṁcid anyaṁ dhanurdharam | icchan hanyād imāṁ senāṁ kimartham api necchati ||
സഞ്ജയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—യുദ്ധത്തിൽ അവനോടു തുല്യനായ മറ്റൊരു ധനുർധരനെയും ഞാൻ കരുതുന്നില്ല. അവൻ ആഗ്രഹിച്ചാൽ ഈ മുഴുവൻ സൈന്യത്തെയും സംഹരിക്കാം; എങ്കിലും എന്തോ കാരണത്താൽ അവൻ അതിന് തയ്യാറാകുന്നില്ല.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and strategic significance of restraint: even when one possesses overwhelming power, the decision to use it depends on intention, purpose, and unseen constraints (dharma, vows, strategy, or compassion). Power alone does not determine action; choice and motive do.
Sañjaya, reporting the battlefield to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, praises a particular archer as unmatched. He observes that this warrior has the capacity to annihilate the opposing force, yet is not exercising that full capacity, prompting wonder about the reason—suggesting deliberate restraint or some binding consideration.
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