Shloka 48
Adhyāya 111 (Book 6): Daśama-dina-saṃgrāma—Bhīṣma’s Counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira and the Śikhaṇḍin-Led Advance
ध्रुवं च त्वां हनिष्यामि शपे सत्येन तेडग्रत: । एतच्छुत्वा च मद्वाक््यं यत् कृत्यं तत् समाचर,“मैं आपके सामने सत्यकी शपथ खाकर कहता हूँ कि आज आपको निश्चय ही मार डालूँगा। मेरी यह बात सुनकर आपको जो कुछ करना हो, वह कीजिये
sañjaya uvāca | dhruvaṃ ca tvāṃ haniṣyāmi śape satyena te 'grataḥ | etac chrutvā ca madvākyaṃ yat kṛtyaṃ tat samācara ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Dan aku pasti akan membunuhmu—di hadapanmu aku bersumpah demi kebenaran itu sendiri. Setelah mendengar kata-kataku ini, lakukanlah apa pun yang kau anggap wajib dilakukan.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of speech in dharmic culture: an oath grounded in satya is presented as binding and consequential. It also shows how vows in war function as moral commitments that demand responsibility and readiness for the outcomes they invoke.
In Sañjaya’s report, a combatant declares a firm intention to kill the opponent and seals it with an oath ‘by truth’ spoken directly before him, then challenges the opponent to respond with whatever action is necessary—intensifying the immediacy and gravity of the battlefield encounter.