Shloka 22
Dvaipāyana-hrade Duryodhanasya Māyā — Yudhiṣṭhirasya Dharmoktiḥ (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 30)
“यदि यह रात बीतते ही प्रातःकाल रणभूमिमें शत्रुओंको न मार डालूँ तो मुझे सज्जन पुरुषोंके योग्य और यज्ञकर्ताओंको प्राप्त होनेवाली प्रसन्नता न प्राप्त हो ।। नाहत्वा सर्वपञज्चालान् विमोक्ष्ये कवचं विभो । इति सत्य ब्रवीम्येतत्तन्मे शूणु जनाधिप,'प्रभो! नरेश्वर! मैं समस्त पांचालोंका संहार किये बिना अपना कवच नहीं उतारूँगा, यह तुमसे सच्ची बात कहता हूँ। मेरे इस कथनको तुम ध्यानसे सुनो”
yadiyaṃ rātriṃ bītatē hi prātaḥkāle raṇabhūmau śatrūn na mārayiṣyāmi tato māṃ sajjanapuruṣair yogyā yajakānāṃ prāpyā ca prasannatā na prāpnuyāt || nāhatvā sarvapañcālān vimokṣye kavacaṃ vibho | iti satyaṃ bravīmy etat tan me śṛṇu janādhipa ||
“ข้าแต่ผู้ทรงเดช ข้าแต่เจ้าเหนือชน! หากยังมิได้สังหารปัญจาลทั้งสิ้น ข้าจักไม่ปลดเกราะออกเลย ข้ากล่าวนี้เป็นสัจจะ—ขอพระองค์จงสดับถ้อยคำของข้าโดยถี่ถ้วน”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how vows and ideals of honor can be used to bind oneself to violent action. It invites reflection on dharma under pressure: a pledge may be ‘truthful’ in speech, yet ethically troubling in aim, showing the tension between personal reputation, ritual ideals of ‘noble satisfaction,’ and the moral cost of war.
Sanjaya narrates to the king a warrior’s grim resolve for the coming morning: he swears he will not remove his armor until he has killed the Panchalas, and he stakes his claim to noble esteem and sacrificial merit-like satisfaction on fulfilling this vow.