Shloka 11
Saṃśaptaka-Varūthinī Saṅgrāma — Binding and Counter-Binding (संशप्तक-वरूथिनी-संग्रामः)
दद्यां तस्मै सवत्सानां यो मे ब्रूयाद् धनंजयम् । 'जो मुझे अर्जुनका पता बता देगा, उसे मैं चार सौ सवत्सा दुधारू गौएँ दूँगा, जिनके सींगोंमें सोने मढ़े होंगे ।।
sañjaya uvāca | dadyāṁ tasmai savatsānāṁ yo me brūyād dhanañjayam | na cet tad abhimanyeta puruṣo 'rjunadarśivān |
Sinabi ni Sañjaya: “Ibibigay ko sa taong magsasabi sa akin kung nasaan si Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) ang apatnaraang bakang nagbibigay-gatas, bawat isa’y may kasamang guya. At kung ang taong tunay na nakakita kay Arjuna ay hindi pa rin ituturing na sapat ang gantimpalang iyon, ipagkakaloob ko pa sa kanya ang higit na mainam na yaman—limandaang puting kabayo, marangyang nakabihis ng mga palamuting ginto at pinalamutian ng mga hiyas na dalisay at walang kapintasan.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how, in the pressure of war, leaders may resort to powerful material incentives to obtain crucial intelligence. It implicitly raises an ethical tension: wealth can be used to motivate action, but it can also tempt people to betray loyalties or distort truth, showing the moral fragility of information-gathering in conflict.
Sanjaya reports an offer of escalating rewards for information about Arjuna’s whereabouts: first, four hundred milch-cows with calves; if that is deemed insufficient by someone who has actually seen Arjuna, then an even greater reward of five hundred white horses adorned with gold and gems.