Mahabharata · 7.56.12–13
॥
Devanāgarī
स हत्वा सैन्धवं संख्ये पुनर् एतु धनंजयः ॥
जित्वा रिपुगणांश् चैव पारयत्व् अर्जुनो व्रतम् ॥
अहत्वा सिन्धुराजं हि धूमकेतुं प्रवेक्ष्यति ॥
न ह्य् एतद् अनृतं कर्तुम् अर्हः पार्थो धनंजयः ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
sa hatvā saindhavaṃ saṃkhye punar etu dhanaṃjayaḥ ||
jitvā ripugaṇāṃś caiva pārayatv arjuno vratam ||
ahatvā sindhurājaṃ hi dhūmaketuṃ pravekṣyati ||
na hy etad anṛtaṃ kartum arhaḥ pārtho dhanaṃjayaḥ ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सः हत्वा सैन्धवम् संख्येsaḥ hatvā saindhavam saṃkhyehe, having slain the Sindhu king in battle; he, having slain the Sindhu king in combat
पुनः एतु धनंजयःpunaḥ etu dhanaṃjayaḥmay Dhananjaya return again; may Dhananjaya return again
जित्वा रिपुगणान् च एवjitvā ripugaṇān ca evaand having conquered the hosts of enemies; and having conquered the hordes of enemies
पारयतु अर्जुनः व्रतम्pārayatu arjunaḥ vratammay Arjuna fulfil the vow; may Arjuna fulfil the vow
अहत्वा सिन्धुराजम् हिahatvā sindhurājam hifor, not having slain the king of Sindhu; for, not having slain the Sindhu king
धूमकेतुम् प्रवेक्ष्यतिdhūmaketum pravekṣyatihe will enter the fire [Dhumaketu]; he will mount the pyre
न हि एतत् अनृतम् कर्तुम्na hi etat anṛtam kartumfor to make this a falsehood; for to make this a lie
अर्हः पार्थः धनंजयःarhaḥ pārthaḥ dhanaṃjayaḥPartha Dhananjaya is not capable; Partha Dhananjaya cannot
Translation
"May Dhananjaya, having slain the Sindhu king in battle, return again, and having conquered the hosts of enemies, may Arjuna fulfil the vow. For, not having slain the king of Sindhu, he will mount the pyre; for Partha Dhananjaya cannot make this [word] a falsehood."
Version
9f6e0962b622 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:36:52 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here lies the root of the anxiety: "ahatvā... dhūmaketuṃ pravekṣyati" — not having slain the enemy, Arjuna will mount the pyre. The vow is bound to life itself: fulfil it or burn. And the reason lies in his very nature: "na hi etat anṛtaṃ kartuṃ arhaḥ," he is not capable of making his word a lie. It is telling that for a righteous man, breaking a vow is more terrible than death. The verse teaches that truthfulness for the faithful is not a convention but the very substance of their being: he would sooner give up his life than lie; and so such a man's word carries within it both his ruin and his greatness.