Shloka 40
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 47 — Arjuna’s Deterrent Declaration
Sañjaya’s Report
यदा शिखण्डी रथिन: प्रचिन्वन् भीष्म रथेनाभियाता वरूथी । दिव्यैहयैरवमृद्नन् रथौघां- स्तदा युद्ध धार्तराष्ट्रोडन्वतप्स्यत्
sañjaya uvāca | yadā śikhaṇḍī rathinaḥ pracinvan bhīṣma-rathenābhiyātā varūthī | divyair hayair avamṛdnan rathaughāṃs tadā yuddhe dhārtarāṣṭro ’nvatapsyat ||
Sañjaya berkata: Apabila Śikhaṇḍī—dilindungi kukuh oleh pertahanan keretanya—maju menyerang Bhīṣma dengan kereta perangnya, memilih dan menewaskan para pahlawan kereta yang terkemuka, serta dengan kuda-kuda ilahi meremukkan himpunan kereta, maka putera Dhṛtarāṣṭra (Duryodhana) akan dikuasai sesal yang pahit, tatkala perang benar-benar telah bermula.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Once a war is unleashed, its momentum and moral cost often exceed the instigator’s control; the verse foreshadows remorse arising from seeing revered elders and vast forces crushed by the very conflict one chose to begin.
Sañjaya predicts a battlefield moment: Śikhaṇḍī, strongly protected and mounted on a chariot, advances against Bhīṣma, cutting down chosen chariot-warriors and trampling chariot formations with divine horses; this spectacle will later cause Duryodhana deep regret as the war’s reality unfolds.