Shloka 163

द्रोणपर्व — अध्याय १६२: प्रातःसंध्यायां युद्धप्रवृत्तिः तथा रजोमेघे संमूढता

Devanagari script

नहि ते वीर मोक्ष्यन्ते मदबाह्वन्तरमागता: । “भारत! जो लोग रणभूमिमें मेरे साथ युद्ध करेंगे, उन्हें मैं मार डालूँगा। वीर! मेरी भुजाओंके भीतर आकर शत्रुसैनिक जीवित नहीं छूट सकेंगे”

Transliteration

nahi te vīra mokṣyante madabāhvantaram āgatāḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai pahlawan, mereka yang telah masuk dalam jangkauan lenganku tidak akan terlepas. Di medan perang, sesiapa yang bertempur denganku—akan kutewaskan; sebaik sahaja mereka memasuki lingkar kekuatanku, para askar musuh tidak akan keluar hidup-hidup.”

Word by Word

नnot

हिindeed/for

तेto you/for you

वीरO hero

मोक्ष्यन्तेwill be released/escape

मत्of me/my

बाहु-अन्तरम्the space/interval between (my) arms

आगताःhaving come/entered

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

स

संजय (Sañjaya)

व

वीर (addressed hero)

श

शत्रु-सैनिक (enemy soldiers)

र

रणभूमि (battlefield)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the uncompromising logic of battlefield duty (kṣatriya-dharma): once combat is joined at close quarters, mercy gives way to the warrior’s resolve to protect his side and fulfill his martial obligation. Ethically, it reflects the grim determinism of war—entering the opponent’s immediate power entails mortal consequence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a warrior’s fierce declaration on the battlefield: anyone who comes within the range of his arms and fights him will not escape alive. It functions as a challenge and a statement of dominance in close combat during the Drona Parva fighting.