Mahabharata 7.96.22 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 96, Shloka 22
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 96: Sātyaki’s Line-Penetration, Encirclement, and Advance toward Arjuna
नचाहं शीघ्रयाने5द्य समर्थो वयसान्वित: । सेनामुखे च पार्थानामेतद् बलमुपस्थितम्
sañjaya uvāca |
na cāhaṃ śīghrayāne 'dya samartho vayasa-anvitaḥ |
senāmukhe ca pārthānām etad balaṃ upasthitam |
tvaran ekaratheṇaiva sametya droṇam abravīt |
Sañjaya nói: “Tâu Đại vương, hôm nay ta không còn đủ sức đánh xe thật nhanh nữa, vì tuổi già đè nặng. Và ngay trước mặt đây, đạo quân hùng mạnh của các Pārtha đang bày trận.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a practical ethical insight from the battlefield: leadership and decision-making are constrained by human limits (age, capacity, fear), and when morale collapses, rulers seek authoritative counsel. It implicitly warns that strategy without steadiness and self-mastery becomes reactive, driven by panic rather than discernment.
After Arjuna’s aggressive advance and the resulting disarray in the Kaurava forces, Duryodhana rushes alone in a chariot to Droṇa to seek guidance. The quoted speech expresses inability to act swiftly due to age and points to the Pāṇḍava force standing at the battle-front, setting up Duryodhana’s urgent appeal to Droṇa.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.