Mahabharata 7.39.13 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 39, Shloka 13
अभिमन्युना दुःशासनस्य ताडनम्
Abhimanyu’s Rebuke and Wounding of Duḥśāsana; Karṇa’s Counter-volley
नास्य युद्धे सम॑ मन्ये कंचिदन्यं धनुर्थरम् । इच्छन् हन्यादिमां सेनां किमर्थमपि नेच्छति
nāsyā yuddhe samaṁ manye kaṁcid anyaṁ dhanurdharam | icchan hanyād imāṁ senāṁ kimartham api necchati ||
سنجے نے کہا—جنگ میں میں کسی دوسرے تیرانداز کو اس کے برابر نہیں سمجھتا۔ اگر وہ چاہے تو اس پوری فوج کو نیست و نابود کر دے؛ مگر نہ جانے کس سبب وہ ایسا کرنا نہیں چاہتا۔
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and strategic significance of restraint: even when one possesses overwhelming power, the decision to use it depends on intention, purpose, and unseen constraints (dharma, vows, strategy, or compassion). Power alone does not determine action; choice and motive do.
Sañjaya, reporting the battlefield to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, praises a particular archer as unmatched. He observes that this warrior has the capacity to annihilate the opposing force, yet is not exercising that full capacity, prompting wonder about the reason—suggesting deliberate restraint or some binding consideration.
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