Shloka 20
Dvaipāyana-hrade Duryodhanasya Māyā — Yudhiṣṭhirasya Dharmoktiḥ (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 30)
इष्टापूर्तेन दानेन सत्येन च जपेन च । शपे राजन् यथा हाद्य निहनिष्यामि सोमकान्,“राजन! मैं अपने इष्टापूर्त कर्म, दान, सत्य और जयकी शपथ खाकर कहता हूँ कि आज सोमकोंका संहार कर डालूँगा
iṣṭāpūrtena dānena satyena ca japena ca | śape rājan yathā hādya nihaniṣyāmi somakān ||
“രാജാവേ! ഇഷ്ട-പൂർത്ത കർമങ്ങൾ, ദാനം, സത്യം, ജപം—ഇവയുടെ ശപഥം ചെയ്ത് ഞാൻ പറയുന്നു: ഇന്ന് ഞാൻ സോമകരെ സംഹരിക്കും.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in epic warfare, a warrior’s resolve is often expressed through oaths sworn on religious merit—iṣṭa-pūrta, charity, truth, and japa—revealing the ethical tension between personal piety and the commitment to lethal action.
A combatant (reported by Sañjaya to the king) declares a solemn vow to destroy the Somakas that very day, invoking sacred and moral credentials as the basis of the oath.