Shloka 37
अहं द्रोणान्तकः पार्थ विहित: शम्भुना पुरा । रणे भीष्म कृपं द्रोणं तथा शल्यं जयद्रथम्
ahaṁ droṇāntakaḥ pārtha vihitaḥ śambhunā purā | raṇe bhīṣma-kṛpaṁ droṇaṁ tathā śalyaṁ jayadratham ||
Wika ni Sañjaya: “O Pārtha, noong una pa’y itinakda na ako ni Śambhu bilang papatay kay Droṇa. Sa labanan, pababagsakin ko si Bhīṣma, si Kṛpa, si Droṇa, gayundin si Śalya at si Jayadratha.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames battlefield outcomes as tied to divine ordination and prior destiny, while still expressing a warrior’s resolve. It highlights the tension between personal agency (vowing to defeat great elders) and a larger cosmic order (Śiva’s appointment), a recurring ethical theme in the epic’s treatment of kṣatriya duty.
Sañjaya reports a declaration addressed to Arjuna: the speaker claims to have been appointed by Śiva as the destined slayer of Droṇa and asserts that, in the coming fighting, he will overcome major Kaurava champions—Bhīṣma, Kṛpa, Droṇa, Śalya, and Jayadratha.