Shloka 216

Droṇa’s Rebuke to Duryodhana after Jayadratha’s Fall (द्रोणेन दुर्योधनं प्रति प्रत्युक्तिः)

Devanagari script

आर्या युद्धे मतिं कृत्वा युद्धायैवावतस्थिरे । राजन! इसी प्रकार आपके सैनिक भी महान्‌ सुयश प्राप्त करना चाहते थे। अतः वे युद्धविषयक श्रेष्ठ बुद्धिका आश्रय ले वहाँ युद्धके लिये ही डँटे रहे

Transliteration

āryā yuddhe matiṁ kṛtvā yuddhāyaivāvatasthire | rājan! īsī prakāra āpake sainik bhī mahān suyāśa prāpta karanā cāhate the | ataḥ ve yuddhaviṣayak śreṣṭha buddhikā āśraya le vahāṁ yuddhake liye hī ḍaṁṭe rahe |

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „Nachdem jene edlen Krieger ihren Sinn auf die Schlacht gerichtet hatten, standen sie fest, einzig auf den Kampf bedacht. Ebenso, o König, begehrten auch deine Soldaten großen Ruhm; darum nahmen sie Zuflucht zur besten kriegerischen Entschlossenheit und blieben dort aufgestellt allein zum Gefecht.“

Word by Word

आर्याःthe noble ones

युद्धेin battle

मतिम्intention, resolve

कृत्वाhaving made

युद्धायfor battle

एवindeed, only

अवतस्थिरेstood firm, remained stationed

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

स

संजय (Sañjaya)

र

राजन् / धृतराष्ट्र (the King, i.e., Dhṛtarāṣṭra—implied by the frame narrative)

आ

आपके सैनिक (the king’s soldiers; Kaurava troops—contextual)

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 the warrior ethic of steadfast resolve: once the mind is set on battle, the fighters stand firm, motivated by duty and the pursuit of honorable renown—an ethical ideal within the kṣatriya framework, even amid the tragedy of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to the King that the warriors, having fixed their intention on fighting, held their ground. He adds that the King’s own troops likewise sought great fame and therefore remained positioned, committed to battle.