Shloka 27

धृष्टद्युम्नस्य द्रोणाभिमुख्यं तथा सात्यकि-कर्ण-समागमः

Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s advance toward Droṇa and the Sātyaki–Karṇa confrontation

Devanagari script

एवं रथगजाकीर्णे हयपत्तिसमाकुले । सिंहनादोद्धतरवे गम्भीरे सैन्यसागरे,तुम स्वयं कवच हिलाते हुए रथपर चढ़े थे, धनुषकी प्रत्यंचा खींचते थे और अपने बहुसंख्यक शत्रुओंके साथ युद्ध कर रहे थे। इस प्रकार रथ, हाथी, घुड़सवार और पैदलोंसे भरे हुए सिंहनादकी भैरव गर्जनासे व्याप्त गम्भीर सैन्य-समुद्रमें जहाँ अपने और शत्रुपक्षके एकत्र हुए लोगोंका परस्पर युद्ध चल रहा था, तुम्हारी सात्यकिके साथ मुठभेड़ हुई थी। ऐसे तुमुल युद्धमें किसी भी एक योद्धाका एक ही योद्धाके साथ संग्राम कैसे माना जा सकता है?

Transliteration

evaṁ rathagajā-kīrṇe hayapatti-samākule | siṁhanādoddhata-rave gambhīre sainya-sāgare ||

Translation

Arjuna sprach: „In jenem tiefen Ozean der Heere—verstopft von Wagen und Elefanten, gedrängt von Reitern und Fußvolk und schrecklich gemacht durch das anschwellende Dröhnen löwengleicher Schlachtrufe—wo die versammelten Krieger beider Seiten einander niedermetzelten, hattest du eine unmittelbare Begegnung mit Sātyaki. Wie kann man in solchem Tumult behaupten, es sei ein ‚Zweikampf‘ gewesen, ein Krieger gegen einen Krieger?“

Word by Word

एवम्thus, in this manner

रथ-गज-आकीर्णेin (a place) filled with chariots and elephants

हय-पत्ति-समाकुलेin (a place) crowded with horsemen and foot-soldiers

सिंह-नाद-उद्धत-रवेin (a place) whose roar is raised by lion-like shouts

गम्भीरेin the deep/terrible

सैन्य-सागरेin the ocean of the army (i.e., vast host)

Speaker

अर्जुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

Sātyaki

chariots

elephants

horses

infantry

battle-cries (siṁhanāda)

army (sainya)

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?

Arjuna challenges a moral-legal claim about ‘single combat’ by pointing to the reality of mass warfare: in a battlefield crowded with multiple arms and chaotic noise, ethical judgments about fairness and one-on-one fighting must account for context rather than slogans.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna describes the battlefield as an ‘ocean of armies’ packed with chariots, elephants, cavalry, and infantry, and recalls that the addressee had a direct clash with Sātyaki amid that tumult; he then questions how anyone could label such an encounter as a true one-versus-one duel.