Mahabharata Drona Parva Chapter 142:2

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Mahabharata Drona Parva (Jayadratha-Vadha Parva) Chapter 142:2


The Kshatriyas fight with their foes, surrounded by their own followers, their brothers, sires, sons, relatives, kinsmen, companions, and friends. These also fight, relying on the (strength of) arms of those they follow. Why, then, should I not protect Satyaki, my disciple and dear kinsman, who is fighting for our sake in this battle, regardless of life itself, that is so difficult of being laid down.[1] Invincible in fight, Satyaki, O king, is my right arm in battle. One should not protect one's own self only, when one goes to battle, he, O king, who is engaged in the business of another should be protected (by that other). Such men being protected, the king is protected in press of battle. If I had calmly beheld Satyaki on the point of being slain in great battle (and had not interfered for saying him), sin would, then, owing to Satyaki's death, have been mine, for such negligence! Why then dost thou become angry with me for my having protected Satyaki? Thou rebukest me, O king, saying, 'Though engaged with another, I have yet been maimed by thee.' In that matter, I answer, I judged wrongly.

Sometimes shaking my armour; sometimes riding on my car, sometimes drawing the bow-string, I was fighting with my enemies in the midst of a host resembling the vast deep, teeming with cars and elephants and abounding with steeds and foot-soldiers and echoing with fierce leonine shouts. Amongst friends and foes engaged with one another, how could it be possible that the Satwata warrior was engaged with only one person in battle? Having fought with many and vanquished many mighty car-warriors, Satyaki had been tired. He himself, afflicted with weapons, had become cheerless. Having, under such circumstances, vanquished the mighty car-warrior, Satyaki, and brought him under thy control, thou soughtest to display thy superiority. Thou hadst desired to cut off, with thy sword, the head of Satyaki in battle. I could not possibly behold with indifference Satyaki reduced to that strait.[2] Thou shouldst rather rebuke thy own self, since thou didst not take care of thyself (when seeking to injure another). Indeed, O hero, how wouldst thou have behaved towards one who is thy dependant?

Sanjaya continued, 'Thus addressed (by Arjuna), the mighty-armed and illustrious Bhurisravas, bearing the device of the sacrificial stake on his banner, abandoning Yuyudhana, desired to die according to the vow of Praya.[3] Distinguished by many righteous deeds, he spread with his left hand a bed of arrows, and desirous of proceeding to the region of Brahman, committed his senses to the care of the deities presiding over them. Fixing his gaze on the sun, and setting his cleansed heart on the moon, and thinking of (the mantras in) the great Upanishad, Bhurisravas, betaking himself to Yoga, ceased to speak. Then all the persons in the entire army began to speak ill of Krishna and Dhananjaya and applauded Bhurisravas, that bull among men. Though censured, the two Krishnas, however, spoke not a word disagreeable (to the dying hero).

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References

  1. Verse 20 is incomplete. I supply the words,—'Why then should I not protect' in order to make the meaning intelligible. The first line of 21 is grammatically connected with 20: To avoid an ugly construction I render it separately.
  2. Literally, 'who could witness with indifference Satyaki reduced to that plight?'
  3. Generally, to die, abstaining from all food. It is a method of freeing the soul from the body by Yoga.