Mahabharata 7.74.383 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 74, Shloka 383
अर्जुनस्य सैन्धवाभिमुखगमनम् तथा विन्दानुविन्दयोर्वधः
Arjuna’s advance toward Saindhava and the fall of Vinda–Anuvinda
ये चावर्जयतां लोका: स्वपतां च तथोषसि । जो बायें हाथसे भोजन करते हैं
ye cāvarjayatāṁ lokāḥ svapatāṁ ca tathōṣasi |
Arjuna berkata: “Alam neraka yang dikatakan menimpa mereka yang melanggar tata susila—seperti makan dengan tangan kiri, makan sambil meletakkan makanan di riba, enggan meninggalkan alas duduk daun palāśa dan kayu pencungkil gigi tinduka, serta tidur ketika fajar—biarlah alam-alam itu juga menjadi bahagianku, jika aku tidak membunuh Jayadratha.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Arjuna frames his battlefield vow in moral terms: failing a righteous resolve (to punish grave wrongdoing) is treated as spiritually ruinous, even comparable to the demerit associated with violating established codes of conduct. The verse highlights the seriousness of a pledged duty and the ethical weight of keeping one’s word.
During the Drona Parva, after Abhimanyu’s death and Jayadratha’s role in blocking the Pandavas, Arjuna swears to kill Jayadratha. Here he intensifies the vow by invoking the fate of sinners—declaring that if he does not slay Jayadratha, he accepts the same hellish destiny attributed to those who disregard prescribed daily conduct.
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