Shloka 17

भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ७२: सैन्यगुणवर्णनम्, व्यूहरक्षा, दैव-पुरुषकारचिन्ता

Devanagari script

ततो दुर्योधनो राजा भारद्वाजमभाषत । पूर्व दृष्टवा वर्धं घोरं बलस्य बलिनां वर:

Transliteration

tato duryodhano rājā bhāradvājam abhāṣata | pūrvaṁ dṛṣṭvā vadhaṁ ghoraṁ balasya balināṁ varaḥ ||

Translation

Da wandte sich König Duryodhana an den Sohn Bhāradvājas (Droṇa). Nachdem er bereits das schreckliche Gemetzel an seinen Heeren gesehen hatte, sprach jener, der Vordere unter den Mächtigen—mit Worten, geformt von der düsteren Wirklichkeit des Krieges und der dringenden Not, durch Rat und Befehl den Vorteil zu erringen.

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'tataḥ', 'definition': 'then

• thereafter'}, {'term': 'duryodhanaḥ', 'definition': 'Duryodhana (Kaurava prince, leader of the Kaurava side)'}, {'term': 'rājā', 'definition': 'king'}, {'term': 'bhāradvājam', 'definition': 'the descendant/son of Bharadvāja

• i.e., Droṇācārya (accusative singular)'}, {'term': 'abhāṣata', 'definition': 'spoke

• addressed (aorist)'}, {'term': 'pūrvam', 'definition': 'previously

• earlier'}, {'term': 'dṛṣṭvā', 'definition': 'having seen

• having observed'}, {'term': 'vadham', 'definition': 'slaughter

• destruction'}, {'term': 'ghoram', 'definition': 'terrible

• horrific'}, {'term': 'balasya', 'definition': 'of the army/force'}, {'term': 'balinām varaḥ', 'definition': 'the best/foremost among the strong (epithet here for Duryodhana as a mighty warrior)'}]

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Duryodhana
• Droṇa (Bhāradvāja’s son)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how the reality of violence and loss in war compels leaders to seek guidance and make strategic decisions; it implicitly underscores the ethical weight of command—speech and counsel arise not in abstraction but amid consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Duryodhana, after seeing the terrible destruction of his forces, turns to Droṇācārya (son of Bharadvāja) and begins to address him, setting up a request or counsel related to the conduct of the battle.