Shloka 35

Devanagari script

शृणु चेदं वचो महां सत्येन वदत: प्रभो,'प्रभो! मैं सत्यकी शपथ खाकर जो कह रहा हूँ, मेरी इस बातको सुनो। मैं अपने इष्ट, आपूर्त, दान, धर्म तथा अन्य शुभ कर्मोकी शपथ खाकर प्रतिज्ञा करता हूँ कि आज श्रीकृष्णके देखते-देखते सम्पूर्ण पांचालोंको सभी उपायोंद्वारा यमराजके लोकमें भेज दूँगा। महाराज! इसके लिये तुम मुझे आज्ञा दे दो”

Transliteration

śṛṇu cedam vaco mahān satyena vadataḥ prabho | prabho! satyena śapathaṃ kṛtvā yad vadāmi tan me vacaḥ śṛṇu | iṣṭāpūrta-dāna-dharma-ādi-śubha-karmabhiḥ śapathaṃ kṛtvā pratijānāmi—adya śrīkṛṣṇasya paśyataḥ sarvopāyair aśeṣān pāñcālān yamarāja-lokaṃ preṣayiṣyāmi | mahārāja! etad-arthaṃ mām adya ājñāpaya ||

Translation

Sañjaya disse: “Ó senhor, escuta estas palavras graves, ditas em verdade. Ó senhor, falo sob juramento de verdade—ouve-me. Jurando pelo mérito de meus sacrifícios e obras de benefício público, por minhas dádivas, pelo dharma e por outros feitos auspiciosos, faço este voto: hoje, mesmo sob o olhar de Śrī Kṛṣṇa, por todos os meios possíveis enviarei todos os Pāñcālas, sem deixar nenhum, ao reino de Yama. Ó rei, concede-me tua ordem para isso.”

Word by Word

• {'śṛṇu': 'hear, listen', 'idam vacaḥ / vaco': 'this speech, these words', 'mahān': 'great, weighty, momentous', 'satyena': 'by truth

• under an oath of truth', 'vadataḥ': 'of one who is speaking', 'prabho': 'O lord

• a respectful address', 'śapatha': 'oath, solemn vow', 'iṣṭa': 'sacrificial rites

• worship performed', 'āpūrta': 'public/charitable works (wells, tanks, rest-houses, etc.)', 'dāna': 'gift, charity', 'dharma': 'righteous duty

• moral law', 'śubha-karma': 'auspicious/meritorious deeds', 'pratijānāmi': 'I vow

• I solemnly promise', 'adya': 'today', 'śrīkṛṣṇasya paśyataḥ': 'while Śrī Kṛṣṇa is watching

• in Kṛṣṇa’s very presence', 'sarvopāyaiḥ': 'by all means/strategies', 'aśeṣān': 'without remainder

• entirely', 'pāñcālān': 'the Pāñcālas (people/warriors of Pañcāla)', 'yamarāja-loka': 'the world/realm of Yama (lord of death)', 'preṣayiṣyāmi': 'I will send (i.e., cause to go)

• I will dispatch', 'mahārāja': 'O great king', 'ājñāpaya': 'command

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Śrī Kṛṣṇa
• Pāñcālas (Pañcāla people/warriors)
• Yamarāja
• Yamaloka (realm of Yama)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the moral weight of speech and vows: invoking truth, dharma, and meritorious deeds to authorize one’s promise makes the commitment ethically serious. At the same time, it exposes a tension—religious merit and dharma are being cited to justify a violent intention—inviting reflection on how sacred language can be used to legitimize warfare and vengeance.

What is happening in the narrative?

A warrior (reported by Sañjaya) addresses the king and seeks formal permission to act. He swears solemnly—by truth and by his religious/charitable merits—that he will, that very day, annihilate the Pāñcālas, even in the presence of Kṛṣṇa, and asks the king to authorize this plan.