Shloka 873
द्रोणपर्व (अध्याय ११२) — कर्णभीमयोर्युद्धम्, दुर्योधनस्य रक्षणादेशः
Droṇa-parva 112: Karṇa–Bhīma Engagement and Duryodhana’s Protective Order
अर्जुनस्य परित्राणं कर्तव्यमिति संयुगे । मानद! सबसे महान् प्रयोजनको तुम्हें शीघ्रतापूर्वक सम्पन्न करना चाहिये। मुझे तो सब कार्योमें सबसे महान् कार्य यही जान पड़ता है कि युद्धस्थलमें अर्जुनकी रक्षा की जाय
arjunasya paritrāṇaṁ kartavyam iti saṁyuge | mānada! sarvabhyaḥ mahān prayojanaṁ tvayā śīghratāpūrvakaṁ sampādayitavyam | mama tu sarvakāryeṣu sarvottamaṁ kāryam idaṁ pratibhāti—yad yuddhasthale ’rjunasya rakṣā kriyeta |
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Di tengah pertempuran, perlindungan Arjuna mesti dipastikan. Wahai pemberi kehormatan, engkau harus segera menyempurnakan keperluan yang paling utama. Pada pandanganku, antara segala kewajipan, tugas yang tertinggi hanyalah ini: menjaga Arjuna di medan perang.”
युधिष्ठिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames protection of a key righteous agent (Arjuna) as a paramount dharmic duty in wartime: leadership must prioritize what preserves the cause and the lives essential to it, acting with urgency and clarity of purpose.
Yudhiṣṭhira, amid the pressures of the Drona Parva battles, urges an ally/commander addressed as ‘Mānada’ to act quickly, declaring that the most important immediate objective is to ensure Arjuna’s safety on the battlefield.