Shloka 7
Saṃśaptakas in Candrārdha-vyūha; Arjuna’s Devadatta and the Traigarta Rout
Chapter 17
एतस्मिन्नन्तरे शून्ये धर्मराजमहं नृप । ग्रहीष्यामि चमूं भित्त्वा धृष्टद्युम्नस्य पश्यत:,“नरेश्वर! इस सूने अवसरमें मैं धृष्टद्युम्नके देखते-देखते पाण्डव-सेनाको विदीर्ण करके धर्मराज युधिष्ठिरको अवश्य पकड़ लूँगा
etasminn antare śūnye dharmarājam ahaṃ nṛpa | grahīṣyāmi camūṃ bhittvā dhṛṣṭadyumnasya paśyataḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai raja, dalam sela yang kosong ini aku akan menembusi bala tentera dan menangkap Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira, sekalipun di hadapan mata Dhṛṣṭadyumna.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how warfare exploits fleeting vulnerabilities: a ‘śūnya’ (unguarded) moment becomes the opening for decisive action. Ethically, it frames a tension between dharma (embodied by Yudhiṣṭhira as Dharmarāja) and the harsh pragmatics of battle, where targeting the moral-political center can be seen as a strategic attempt to collapse the opponent’s resolve and legitimacy.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra a warrior’s resolve: during a brief opening in the formations, he intends to break through the Pāṇḍava host and capture Yudhiṣṭhira, even under the eyes of Dhṛṣṭadyumna, the Pāṇḍava commander. The focus is on a tactical breakthrough aimed at seizing the opposing king rather than merely defeating soldiers.