Mahabharata 7.73.29 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 73, Shloka 29

द्रोण–सात्यकि द्वैरथम्

Droṇa and Sātyaki: The Chariot Duel

Devanagari script

तानन्हायाधिगच्छेयं न चेद्धन्यां जयद्रथम्‌ । माता-पिताकी हत्या करनेवालोंको जो लोक प्राप्त होते हैं

Transliteration

arjuna uvāca | tān aham āyādhigaccheyaṁ na ced dhanyāṁ jayadratham |

Translation

Arjuna disse: “Que eu caia nesses mesmos reinos se amanhã eu não matar Jayadratha—nos reinos que cabem aos assassinos de pai e mãe, aos que violam a esposa do mestre e aos mexeriqueiros e caluniadores; aos que censuram os homens virtuosos e mancham os outros; aos que se apoderam do depósito e traem a confiança; aos que tomam uma mulher já desfrutada por outro, aos que proferem palavras de pecado; aos matadores de brâmanes e aos assassinos de vacas; e também aos que comem kheer, alimento de cevada, verduras, khichdi, halva, pua e outros pratos sem antes oferecer o Bali–Vaiśvadeva.” No ardor da batalha e na dor, Arjuna prende-se por um voto terrível: se falhar em punir aquele que considera responsável pela morte de Abhimanyu, aceita para si a mesma consequência moral e espiritual que recai sobre as mais condenadas violações do dharma.

Word by Word

• तान्: those (worlds/realms)
• तान्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• अह्नाय: immediately, at once
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अह्नाय

• अधिगच्छेयम्: I should attain/reach
• Type: Verb
• Root: अधि-गम्
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 1st, Singular, Parasmaipada

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• चेत्: if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चेत्

• हन्याम्: I should kill
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 1st, Singular, Parasmaipada

• जयद्रथम्: Jayadratha
• जयद्रथम्: Karma
• Type: Noun (Proper)
• Root: जयद्रथ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Jayadratha

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the binding force of a vow (pratijñā) and the moral seriousness with which one accepts responsibility: Arjuna stakes his own spiritual fate on fulfilling a dharmic act of justice as he understands it, showing how intention, accountability, and resolve are treated as ethically weighty in the epic.

What is happening in the narrative?

After Abhimanyu’s killing, Arjuna identifies Jayadratha as the key enabler who prevented help from reaching Abhimanyu. In rage and grief, Arjuna publicly vows that he will kill Jayadratha the next day; failing that, he declares he deserves the same dire fate as the worst transgressors.