Shloka 106
Droṇa’s sweeping assault and the Abhimanyu–Jayadratha close-quarters episode (द्रोणस्य भीषणव्यचरितम् / सौभद्र-जयद्रथ-संनिपातः)
नत्वां द्रोणो निगृहल्लीयाज्जीवमाने मयि ध्रुवम् नक्षत्रोंसहित आकाश फट पड़े और पृथ्वीके टुकड़े-टुकड़े हो जाय, तो भी मेरे जीते-जी द्रोणाचार्य आपको पकड़ नहीं सकते; यह ध्रुव सत्य है
na tvāṁ droṇo nigṛhṇīyāj jīvamāne mayi dhruvam | nakṣatraiḥ sahita ākāśaḥ phaṭet pṛthivī ca tu khaṇḍa-khaṇḍā bhavet, tathāpi me jīvati droṇācāryo na tvāṁ grahītuṁ śaknoti—etat dhruvaṁ satyam ||
Arjuna berkata: “Selagi aku masih hidup, Droṇa pasti tidak akan dapat menangkap tuanku. Walaupun langit bersama bintang-bintangnya terbelah dan bumi hancur berkeping-keping, namun selama aku bernyawa, Droṇācārya tidak dapat menawan tuanku. Inilah kebenaran yang teguh dan tidak dapat disangkal.”
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfast resolve and protective duty: Arjuna asserts an unshakable commitment to prevent an injustice (the capture of the addressed person) as long as he lives, using cosmic-impossibility imagery to emphasize truthfulness and determination.
In the midst of the Drona Parva’s battlefield tensions, Arjuna speaks a forceful assurance: he declares that Dronacharya will not be able to seize the person being addressed while Arjuna remains alive, even if the cosmos were to rupture—underscoring Arjuna’s readiness to stand as a shield.