Shloka 24

Devanagari script

स चाफक्रम्यतां युद्धाद्‌ येनोपायेन शक्‍्यते । अपनीते ततः पार्थे धर्मराजो जितस्त्वया,अतः जिस उपायसे भी सम्भव हो, तुम उन्हें युद्धसे दूर हटा दो। कुन्तीकुमार अर्जुनके रणक्षेत्रसे हट जानेपर समझ लो कि तुमने धर्मराजको जीत लिया

Transliteration

sa cāpakramyatāṁ yuddhād yenopāyena śakyate | apanīte tataḥ pārthe dharmarājo jitas tvayā ||

Translation

Droṇa sprach: „Mit welchem Mittel es auch immer möglich ist, bringe ihn dazu, sich aus der Schlacht zurückzuziehen. Wenn Pārtha (Arjuna) vom Feld weggeführt ist, so wisse: Damit hast du Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira) besiegt.“

Word by Word

सःhe

चand

अपक्रम्यताम्let him withdraw / be made to withdraw

युद्धात्from the battle

येनby which (means)

उपायेनby a means/method

शक्यतेis possible / can be done

अपनीतेwhen (he is) led away/removed

ततःthen/thereupon

पार्थेwhen Partha (Arjuna) (is so removed/withdrawn)

धर्मराजःDharmaraja (Yudhishthira)

जितःconquered/defeated

त्वयाby you

अतःtherefore

Speaker

द्रोण उवाच

Characters & Entities

Droṇa

Arjuna (Pārtha)

Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmarāja)

Kurukṣetra (battlefield context)

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 how, in war, victory may be pursued through strategic separation of key defenders rather than direct confrontation—raising an ethical question about ends and means, since “by whatever means” can imply morally ambiguous tactics.

What is happening in the narrative?

Droṇa instructs his side to get Arjuna to withdraw from the battlefield by any feasible strategy; once Arjuna is removed, Droṇa claims Yudhiṣṭhira is effectively defeated, because Arjuna’s presence is crucial to protecting him and sustaining the Pāṇḍava position.