Shloka 3

Devanagari script

दुर्योधनस्तानवश्यं वृणुयाद्‌ रथसत्तमान्‌ | तेडस्मासु नित्यविद्विष्टा: संश्रयेयुश्न कौरवान्‌,दुर्योधन उन श्रेष्ठ रथियोंसे अपनी सहायताके लिये अवश्य प्रार्थना करता और वे हमसे सर्वदा द्वेष रखनेके कारण निश्चय ही कौरवोंका पक्ष लेते

Transliteration

duryodhanas tān avaśyaṁ vṛṇuyād rathasattamān | te ’smāsu nityavidviṣṭāḥ saṁśrayeyuś ca kauravān ||

Translation

Vāyu sprach: „Duryodhana würde gewiss jene Vorzüglichsten unter den Wagenkämpfern als Verbündete suchen; und sie, uns stets feindlich gesinnt, würden sich sicher auf die Seite der Kauravas schlagen.“

Word by Word

दुर्योधनःDuryodhana

तान्those (men)

अवश्यम्certainly, necessarily

वृणुयात्would choose / would solicit

रथसत्तमान्the best of chariot-warriors

तेthey

अस्मासुtowards us / in our case

नित्यविद्विष्टाःalways hostile (to us)

संश्रयेयुःwould take refuge with / would side with

कौरवान्the Kauravas

Speaker

श्रीवायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyu (Vāyudeva)

Duryodhana

Kauravas

rathasattamas (foremost chariot-warriors)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how entrenched hostility and prior loyalties shape political and martial alliances: those who bear lasting enmity will predictably choose the opposing camp, regardless of broader ethical considerations.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu explains that Duryodhana would inevitably solicit the support of eminent chariot-warriors, and that these warriors—being perpetually antagonistic toward ‘us’—would consequently align themselves with the Kauravas.