Shloka 346
द्रोणपर्व — अध्याय १६२: प्रातःसंध्यायां युद्धप्रवृत्तिः तथा रजोमेघे संमूढता
द्रोणं हत्वा किल मया हन्तव्यस्त्वं सुदुर्मते । “दुर्बृद्धि ब्राह्मण! क्या तू मेरी प्रतिज्ञा और उत्पत्तिका वृत्तान्त नहीं जानता? निश्चय ही, मुझे पहले द्रोणाचार्यका वध करके फिर तेरा विनाश करना है
droṇaṁ hatvā kila mayā hantavyas tvaṁ sudurmate | durbuddhe brāhmaṇa! kiṁ tvaṁ mama pratijñāṁ cotpattikā vṛttāntaṁ na jānāsi? niścayaṁ hi, mayā pūrvaṁ droṇācārya-vadhaṁ kṛtvā paścāt tava vināśaḥ kartavyaḥ |
ସଞ୍ଜୟ କହିଲେ—“ଦ୍ରୋଣଙ୍କୁ ବଧ କରି ସାରିଲେ ହିଁ, ହେ ଅତି ଦୁର୍ମତି, ମୋତେ ତୋତେ ବଧ କରିବାକୁ ହେବ। ‘ଦୁର୍ବୁଦ୍ଧି ବ୍ରାହ୍ମଣ! ମୋ ପ୍ରତିଜ୍ଞା ଓ ମୋ ଉତ୍ପତ୍ତିର ବୃତ୍ତାନ୍ତ ତୁ ଜାଣୁନାହୁଁ କି? ନିଶ୍ଚୟ, ପ୍ରଥମେ ମୋତେ ଦ୍ରୋଣାଚାର୍ଯ୍ୟଙ୍କ ବଧ କରି, ପରେ ତୋର ବିନାଶ ସାଧିବାକୁ ହେବ।’”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage foregrounds the binding force of a pratijñā (solemn vow) in the epic’s moral universe: a warrior frames his intended violence as duty-bound sequence—first fulfilling a pledged objective (Droṇa’s death), then pursuing personal retribution—raising the ethical tension between vowed duty and escalating vengeance.
Within Sañjaya’s narration, a speaker threatens an addressed brāhmaṇa, declaring that he is destined to be killed—but only after Droṇācārya is slain. The speaker invokes his vow and his origin-story as justification, emphasizing a deliberate order of actions in the ongoing Kurukṣetra conflict.