Shloka 11
भीष्मस्य सेनापत्यप्रतिज्ञा तथा रथसंख्यावर्णनम् | Bhishma Accepts Command and Enumerates Kaurava Strength
हन्यामहं द्रोणमृतेडपि लोक॑ नते भयं विद्यते पाण्डवेभ्य: | ततो हि ते लब्धतमं च राज्य- मापद्गताः: पाण्डवाश्नेति भाव:
hanyām ahaṃ droṇam ṛte ’pi loka na te bhayaṃ vidyate pāṇḍavebhyaḥ | tato hi te labdhatamaṃ ca rājyaṃ āpadgatāḥ pāṇḍavāś ceti bhāvaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “Even if I were to slay Droṇa, O king, there would still be no fear for you from the Pāṇḍavas. For their resolve is this: once they have regained the kingdom that is most rightfully theirs, the Pāṇḍavas will have emerged from calamity.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that the Pāṇḍavas’ motive is not indiscriminate vengeance but the restoration of rightful sovereignty; once justice is restored, the perceived threat diminishes. It frames political fear in terms of ethical legitimacy and intention (bhāva).
Sañjaya addresses the king, assessing the situation around Droṇa and the Pāṇḍavas. He argues that even drastic measures against Droṇa would not remove the underlying reality: the Pāṇḍavas are driven by the aim to regain their kingdom and thereby end their calamity.