Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 29

रणभूमिवर्णनम् — Devāsuropama-yuddha and the ‘River’ Metaphor of the Battlefield

Devanagari script

धृष्टद्युम्न: शिखण्डी च सात्यकिश्व॒ महारथ:

Transliteration

dhṛṣṭadyumnaḥ śikhaṇḍī ca sātyakiś ca mahārathaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Śikhaṇḍī, and Sātyaki—each a great chariot-warrior—(advanced/stood forth).” The line highlights the Pandava side’s reliance on proven champions in the climactic violence of war, where personal prowess is repeatedly marshalled in service of a larger, contested claim to righteous order.

Word by Word

• धृष्टद्युम्नः: Dhrishtadyumna
• धृष्टद्युम्नः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धृष्टद्युम्न
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शिखण्डी: Shikhandi
• शिखण्डी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिखण्डिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

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

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• महारथः: great chariot-warrior (maharatha)
• महारथः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारथ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛṣṭadyumna
• Śikhaṇḍī
• Sātyaki
• Sañjaya

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how, in the moral chaos of war, responsibility is carried by recognized leaders and elite warriors; their prowess is not merely personal glory but a burden of duty undertaken for their side’s perceived dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya names key Pāṇḍava champions—Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Śikhaṇḍī, and Sātyaki—identifying them as mahārathas, typically as part of a battlefield roll-call describing who is present, advancing, or taking position in the fighting.