Shloka 4536
कर्णवधार्थं धनञ्जयस्य प्रतिज्ञा — Arjuna’s resolve for Karṇa’s defeat
मर्तव्यमिति निश्चित्य जयं वाप्यनिवर्तनम् | संशप्तकोंने पुनः यह निश्चय करके कि “मर जायूँगे अथवा विजय प्राप्त करेंगे, किंतु युद्धसे पीछे नहीं हटेंगे” अर्जुनको चारों ओरसे घेर लिया
martavyam iti niścitya jayaṃ vāpy anivartanam | saṃśaptakāḥ punaḥ evaṃ niścayaṃ kṛtvā arjunaṃ sarvataḥ paryavārayamāsuḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Setelah menetapkan, “Kita mesti mati, atau menang—namun kita tidak akan berpaling dari medan perang,” para Saṃśaptaka, teguh pada sumpah itu, sekali lagi mengepung Arjuna dari segala arah.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the power and peril of a vow: steadfastness (anivartanam) is praised as warrior honor, yet it also shows how commitment can become fatalistic—choosing death over withdrawal—raising ethical questions about when resolve serves dharma and when it hardens into destructive obstinacy.
Sañjaya reports that the Saṃśaptakas, having renewed their do-or-die resolve, close ranks and encircle Arjuna from all directions, intensifying the combat pressure on him in the Karṇa Parva battle sequence.