Shloka 9

Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 114 — Karṇa–Bhīmasena Missile Exchange, Disarmament, and Arjuna’s Intervention

Devanagari script

तवाज्ञां शिरसा गृह पाण्डवार्थमहं प्रभो । भिच््वेदं दुर्भिदं सैन्यं प्रयास्पे नरपुड़व,'प्रभो! नरश्रेष्ठ! मैं आपकी आज्ञा शिरोधार्य करके पाण्डुनन्दन अर्जुनके लिये इस दुर्भद्य सैन्यव्यूहका भेदनकर उनके पास जाऊँगा

Transliteration

tavājñāṃ śirasā gṛhya pāṇḍavārtham ahaṃ prabho | bhittvedaṃ durbhidaṃ sainyaṃ prayāsye narapuṅgava ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „O Herr, Bester der Menschen! Deinen Befehl nehme ich mir wie auf das Haupt gelegt. Um der Pāṇḍavas willen werde ich gehen. Nachdem ich diese schwer zu durchbrechende Heeresformation gesprengt habe, werde ich mir den Weg zu Arjuna bahnen, dem Besten der Menschen.“

Word by Word

तवof you / your

आज्ञाम्command, order

शिरसाwith (my) head; on the head (i.e., respectfully)

गृह्यhaving taken / accepting

पाण्डव-अर्थम्for the sake of the Pāṇḍavas

अहम्I

प्रभोO lord

भित्त्वाhaving split / having broken through

इदम्this

दुर्भिदम्hard to pierce / difficult to break

सैन्यम्army, host

प्रयास्येI shall go / I will proceed

नरपुङ्गवO bull among men / best of men

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Pāṇḍavas

Arjuna

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights disciplined obedience and resolve: a subordinate accepts an order with reverence (“on the head”) and commits to a difficult, risky task for a larger cause, emphasizing duty and courage amid war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya addresses his lord (Dhṛtarāṣṭra), declaring that he will honor the command and, for the Pāṇḍavas’ purpose, break through the difficult enemy host/formation to reach Arjuna.