Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 18

Book 9 (Śalya-parva), Adhyāya 13 — Arjuna’s Arrow-storm and the Drauṇi Confrontation

Devanagari script

सात्यकिस्तु ततः क्रुद्धो धर्मपुत्रे शरारदिते

Transliteration

sātyakis tu tataḥ kruddho dharmaputre śarārditē

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then Sātyaki, enraged, saw Dharmaputra (Yudhiṣṭhira) struck and pained by arrows—an incident that intensifies the moral urgency of protecting the righteous leader amid the chaos of war.

Word by Word

• सात्यकिः: Sātyaki
• सात्यकिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सात्यकि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• ततः: then/thereupon
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• क्रुद्धः: angry
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रुद्ध
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• धर्मपुत्रे: in/at Dharmaputra (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• धर्मपुत्रे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मपुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• शरारदिते: when (he was) pierced/wounded by arrows
• शरारदिते: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शरारदित
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sātyaki (Yuyudhāna)
• Dharmaputra (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• arrows (śara)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical pressure of war: when the dhārmic leader (Dharmaputra) is harmed, a protector-warrior’s anger arises as a force to defend righteousness. It frames wrath not as mere passion but as a battlefield impulse directed toward safeguarding dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Sātyaki becomes furious upon seeing Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmaputra) afflicted by arrow-wounds. This sets up Sātyaki’s imminent martial reaction in defense of the Pāṇḍava king.