Mahabharata 7.13.14 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 13, Shloka 14
Droṇa’s sweeping assault and the Abhimanyu–Jayadratha close-quarters episode (द्रोणस्य भीषणव्यचरितम् / सौभद्र-जयद्रथ-संनिपातः)
न स्मराम्यनृतं तावन्न स्मरामि पराजयम् । न स्मरामि प्रतिश्रुत्य किंचिदप्यनृतं कृतम्
na smarāmy anṛtaṃ tāvan na smarāmi parājayam | na smarāmi pratiśrutya kiṃcid apy anṛtaṃ kṛtam | āptair āśu parijñātaṃ bhāradvāja-cikīrṣitam |
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Raja, aku tidak ingat pernah berkata dusta; aku tidak ingat pernah kalah; dan aku tidak ingat bahawa setelah berjanji, aku pernah menjadikan janji itu palsu walau sedikit pun. Dan apa yang diniatkan oleh putera Bhāradvāja (Droṇa) telah segera dan dengan wajar diketahui melalui ejen-ejen yang dipercayai.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds satya and fidelity to one’s word: a person’s moral authority rests on not speaking untruth and not falsifying a pledged promise, even minimally—especially in the high-stakes setting of war where vows and credibility shape conduct.
Sañjaya, reporting to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, asserts his own reliability by claiming he has never lied or broken a promise, and notes that Droṇa’s intended course of action was swiftly learned through trustworthy agents.
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