Shloka 16

Devanagari script

अवध्यौ च यथा वीरी संयुगेष्वपराजितौ । यथा च पाण्डवा राजन्नवध्या युधि कस्यचित्‌,“ऋषि नर और नारायण जिस उद्देश्यसे मनुष्योंमें अवतीर्ण हुए हैं, वे दोनों अपराजित वीर जिस प्रकार युद्धमें अवध्य हैं तथा समस्त पाण्डव भी जिस प्रकार समरभूमिमें किसीके लिये भी वध्य नहीं हैं, वह सब विषय तुमने अच्छी तरह सुन लिया

Transliteration

avadhyau ca yathā vīrī saṃyugeṣv aparājitau | yathā ca pāṇḍavā rājann avadhyā yudhi kasyacit ||

Translation

সেই দুজন অপৰাজেয় বীৰ যুঁজত যেনেকৈ অবধ্য, আৰু হে ৰাজন, পাণ্ডৱসকলও ৰণভূমিত কাৰো দ্বাৰা বধ্য নহয়—এই সকলো তুমি স্পষ্টকৈ শুনিছা।

Word by Word

अवध्यौinvulnerable, not to be slain

चand

यथाas, just as

वीरीtwo heroes

संयुगेषुin battles

अपराजितौunconquered, undefeated

यथाas, just as

चand

पाण्डवाःthe Pandavas

राजन्O king

अवध्याःinvulnerable, not to be slain

युधिin battle

कस्यचित्of anyone, of any (person)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by 'rājan')

Pāṇḍavas

Nara (Ṛṣi Nara, implied by the accompanying prose gloss)

Nārāyaṇa (implied by the accompanying prose gloss)

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 underscores the idea that certain agents aligned with a higher purpose—here framed as unconquered and ‘not to be slain’—stand under a moral and providential protection. It reinforces the ethical warning that opposing such dharma-aligned forces is futile and self-destructive.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya addresses the king (Dhṛtarāṣṭra), summarizing what has been explained: the inviolability of the two undefeated heroes (understood in the surrounding context as Nara and Nārāyaṇa) and, similarly, the Pāṇḍavas’ being beyond anyone’s power to kill in battle—signaling the inevitability of the Kauravas’ defeat.