Character

Sanjaya

सञ्जयSañjaya

verses
2,246
books
2
chapters
445

What the texts say

In the Mahabharata, Sanjaya is the charioteer who tells King Dhritarashtra what happens in the war. Mahabharata 5.29.1, 6.2.9, 6.2.10 Before the war, Vyasa tells the king that Sanjaya will describe the conflict to him, endowed with divine sight and all-knowing about the battle. Mahabharata 6.2.9, 6.2.10 Wishing for peace, Dhritarashtra also sends Sanjaya as an envoy to the Pandavas, the sons of Pandu. Mahabharata (Gita Press) 1.2.225Mahabharata 5.21.20 Later, Sanjaya says that through the favour of the sage Vyasa he saw with his own eyes the passing of the teacher Drona. Mahabharata (Gita Press) 7.194.723 In the Bhagavad Gita, Sanjaya relates to the king how Krishna, the great Lord of Yoga, revealed his supreme, majestic form to the warrior Arjuna. Bhagavad Gita 11.9

Where to read

Every verse that names Sanjaya, book by book.

  1. Mahabharata

    2,214 verses · 441 chapters

    All 2,214 verses in the Mahabharata

    Also in the Gita Press edition: 23,044 verses

    • 5.30.1

      Sañjaya sprach: Ich nehme Abschied von dir, o Gott unter den Königen; ich gehe nun, o Pāṇḍava — Heil und Wohlergehen sei mit dir. Habe ich, aus einer Regung des Geistes, irgendein unziemliches Wort gesprochen?

    • 7.19.1

      Sañjaya sprach: Als jene Nacht vorüber war, wandte sich der große Wagenkämpfer Bhāradvāja (Droṇa), nachdem er ausführlich gesprochen hatte, sodann an König Suyodhana, o König.

    • 7.35.1

      Sañjaya sprach: Als Saubhadra die Worte des weisen Dharmarāja vernommen hatte, trieb er seinen Wagenlenker zum Heer Dronas, o Bhārata.

  2. Bhagavad Gita

    32 verses · 4 chapters

    All 32 verses in the Bhagavad Gita
    • 1.1

      Dhṛtarāṣṭra sprach: „O Sañjaya, auf dem Dharmakṣetra, dem heiligen Feld von Kurukṣetra, wo sich meine Söhne und die Söhne Pāṇḍus, kampfbegierig, versammelt haben — was taten sie?“

    • 2.1

      Sañjaya sprach: Als er ihn so sah — vom Mitleid ergriffen, mit tränengefüllten, verstörten Augen, in Niedergeschlagenheit versunken — sprach Madhusūdana diese Worte zu ihm.

    • 11.9

      Sanjaya sprach: „O König! Nachdem der große Herr der Yoga, Hari, so gesprochen hatte, zeigte er dem Pārtha seine höchste, von göttlicher Herrlichkeit erfüllte Gestalt.“

Key chapters

The chapters where Sanjaya matters most.

  1. Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 30: Sañjaya’s Departure and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Commission of Greetings

    Mahabharata 5.30 · 44 verses

    Departing envoy and moral interlocutor who seeks to keep speech…

  2. Droṇa’s Suparṇa Formation and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Counter-array

    Mahabharata 7.19 · 36 verses

    Battle-narrator and tactical interpreter for Dhṛtarāṣṭra

  3. द्रोणानीकाभिमुखगमनम् (Abhimanyu advances toward Droṇa’s host)

    Mahabharata 7.35 · 10 verses

    Witness-narrator to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, framing Abhimanyu’s advance as…

  4. Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Inquiry to Sañjaya

    Mahabharata 7.61 · 28 verses

    Witness-narrator being prompted

  5. अध्याय ८८ · घटोत्कच-दुर्योधनयुद्धवर्णनम् (Ghaṭotkaca-Duryodhana Engagement)

    Mahabharata 6.88 · 27 verses

    Narrator-witness

  6. Arjuna’s Lament on Guru-Dharma and the Opening of the Sātyaki-Karṇa Duel

    Mahabharata 7.122 · 26 verses

    Narrator and moral interpreter, balancing tactical detail with…

  7. Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 50: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Appraisal of Bhīmasena (भीमसेनभयवर्णनम्)

    Mahabharata 5.50 · 23 verses

    Listener and stabilizing court-intellect

  8. The Vow and Terms of the Mace Duel

    Mahabharata 9.31 · 22 verses

    वृत्तांतकर्ता

  9. Droṇa’s engagements with the Kekayas and Cedis

    Mahabharata 7.101 · 20 verses

    Narrator to Dhṛtarāṣṭra

  10. Night Exhaustion and Brief Pause in Battle

    Mahabharata 7.159 · 20 verses

    वर्णनकर्ता

Key episodes

  1. The Gita Begins: Arjuna's Despair on the Battlefield

    Bhagavad Gita 1-2

  2. Krishna Reveals the Cosmic Form (Vishvarupa)

    Bhagavad Gita 11

Also known to Wikipedia · Wikidata Q2389469