Shloka 19
Śikhaṇḍinī’s Disclosure, Drupada’s Counsel, and the Petition to Yakṣa Sthūṇākarṇa
Udyoga Parva 192
द्वाभ्यामेव तु मासाभ्यां कृप: शारद्वतो5बवीत् । द्रौणिस्तु दशरात्रेण प्रतिजज्ञे बलक्षयम्,कृपाचार्यने दो महीनोंमें पाण्डव-सेनाके संहारकी बात कही; परंतु अश्वत्थामाने दस ही दिनोंमें शत्रुसेनाके संहारकी प्रतिज्ञा कर ली
dvābhyām eva tu māsābhyāṃ kṛpaḥ śāradvato ’bravīt | drauṇis tu daśarātreṇa pratijajñe balakṣayam ||
三阇耶说道：“舍罗陀跋之子克利帕宣称，只需两个月便可歼灭般度族的大军；而德罗那之子阿湿婆他曼则立誓，十夜之内必使敌军之力尽归于灭。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how, in wartime, speech becomes a moral force: estimates and boasts can harden into vows (pratijñā), intensifying conflict. It invites reflection on restraint and responsibility—how confidence and ambition, when expressed as binding pledges, can accelerate violence and narrow ethical choices.
Sañjaya reports contrasting claims from two Kuru-side figures: Kṛpa predicts the Pāṇḍava army’s destruction in two months, while Aśvatthāman, more aggressively, vows to accomplish the enemy’s ruin within ten nights—signaling rising determination and the sharpening of war plans.