Shloka 24

Devanagari script

तेनानुबन्ध॑ मन्यते धारतराष्ट्र: शक्यं हर्तु पाण्डवानां ममत्वम्‌ | किरीटिना तालमात्रायुधेन तद्वेदिना संयुगं तत्र गत्वा,राज्य आदिपर जो पाण्डवोंका ममत्व है, उसे हर लेना क्या दुर्योधन सरल समझता है? इसके लिये उसे उन किरीटथारी अर्जुनके साथ युद्धभूमिमें उतरना पड़ेगा, जो चार हाथ लंबा धनुष धारण करते हैं और धरनुर्वेदके प्रकाण्ड विद्वान्‌ हैं

Transliteration

tenānubandhaṁ manyate dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ śakyaṁ hartuṁ pāṇḍavānāṁ mamatvam | kirīṭinā tālamātrāyudhena tadvedinā saṁyugaṁ tatra gatvā ||

Translation

قال سانجيا: «يا دْهرتراشترا، إنه يظن أنه قادر على قطع حقّ الباندافا المشروع وشعورهم بالملكية في هذا المُلك. ولكن لكي يفعل ذلك لا بدّ له أن يهبط إلى ساحة القتال ويواجه أرجونا ذا التاج—حامل قوسٍ بطول مقياس “تالا” وسيدٍ في علم الرمي بالقوس. إن توهّم أن هذا الحق يمكن انتزاعه “بسهولة” هو عمى أخلاقي، لأنه يقتضي حربًا على قومٍ أقوياء، مهرة، وأصحاب قضيةٍ محقّة.»

Word by Word

तेनby that; therefore

अनुबन्धम्consequence; connection; implication

मन्यतेthinks; considers

धार्तराष्ट्रःDhṛtarāṣṭra’s son (Duryodhana)

शक्यम्possible; doable

हर्तुम्to take away; to seize

पाण्डवानाम्of the Pāṇḍavas

ममत्वम्sense of ownership; claim (to the kingdom)

किरीटिनाby/with the diadem-wearer (Arjuna)

तालमात्रायुधेनwith a weapon (bow) of the measure of a tāla (very long)

तद्वेदिनाwith the knower of that (dhanurveda/archery-science)

संयुगम्battle; combat

तत्रthere; in that place

गत्वाhaving gone

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Pāṇḍavas

Arjuna (Kirīṭin)

Dhanurveda

battlefield (saṁyuga)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical delusion of thinking that a rightful claim (pāṇḍavānāṁ mamatvam) can be ‘taken away’ by force. Such a plan inevitably leads to war against capable and justified opponents, revealing how greed and pride distort judgment and invite destructive consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya addresses Dhṛtarāṣṭra, pointing out that the attempt to dispossess the Pāṇḍavas is not simple: it requires confronting Arjuna, famed as Kirīṭin and as a master of Dhanurveda, on the battlefield—implying the grave risk and inevitability of conflict.