Shloka 6
Droṇa’s Resolve to Restrain Yudhiṣṭhira and Arjuna’s Protective Vow (द्रोणस्य युधिष्ठिरनिग्रह-प्रयत्नः)
ददासि चेद्ू वरं महाूं जीवग्राहं युधिष्ठिरम् । गृहीत्वा रथिनां श्रेष्ठ मत्समीपमिहानय,“आचार्य! यदि आप मुझे वर दे रहे हैं तो रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठ युधिष्ठिकको जीवित पकड़कर यहाँ मेरे पास ले आइये”
dadāsi ced varaṁ mahān jīvagrāhaṁ yudhiṣṭhiram | gṛhītvā rathināṁ śreṣṭha matsamīpam ihānaya ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai yang terunggul antara para pahlawan kereta perang, jika benar tuan mengurniakan kepadaku suatu anugerah besar, maka tangkaplah Yudhiṣṭhira hidup-hidup dan bawalah dia ke mari menghadapku.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war aims can shift from mere slaughter to politically and morally consequential objectives: capturing a dharmic king alive is portrayed as a ‘greater boon’ because it can decide the conflict through control and psychological collapse rather than death alone, raising questions about the ethics of coercion versus killing.
Sañjaya reports a demand framed as a boon: the addressed foremost chariot-warrior is urged to seize Yudhiṣṭhira alive and bring him before the speaker, indicating a strategic plan to neutralize the Pāṇḍava side by taking their leader prisoner.