Shloka 20

Devanagari script

कथं च वो मनस्तात निवृत्तेष्वडभवत्‌ तदा । मामकानां च ये शूरा: के कांस्तत्र न्यवारयन्‌,तात! पाण्डव-सैनिकोंके लौटनेपर तुमलोगोंके मनकी कैसी दशा हुई? मेरे पुत्रोंकी सेनामें जो शूरवीर थे, उनमेंसे किन लोगोंने शत्रुपक्षके किन वीरोंको रोका था?

Transliteration

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | kathaṃ ca vo manas tāta nivṛtteṣv abhavat tadā | māmakānāṃ ca ye śūrāḥ ke kāṃs tatra nyavārayan, tāta |

Translation

Dhṛtarāṣṭra sprach: „Und du, mein lieber Sohn, als die Truppen der Pāṇḍavas sich zurückwandten — in welchem Zustand war damals dein Geist? Und unter den tapferen Kriegern auf meiner Seite: Wer hielt dort welche Helden des Feindes zurück?“

Word by Word

कथम्how?

चand

वःof you (your)

मनःmind

तातO dear (son)!

निवृत्तेषुwhen (they) had turned back / on the returning (ones)

अभवत्was / became

तदाthen

मामकानाम्of my side / of my sons' (men)

चand

येwho

शूराःheroes, brave warriors

केwhich (ones)? who (among them)?

कान्whom?

तत्रthere

न्यवारयन्they restrained/checked (held back)

तातO dear (son)!

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Sañjaya (implied addressee as 'tāta')

Pāṇḍavas (as 'Pāṇḍava troops')

Kauravas / Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s party (as 'māmakāḥ')

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 a ruler’s attachment shapes perception: Dhṛtarāṣṭra frames events in terms of “my side” and seeks tactical details, revealing concern for advantage and control rather than impartial reflection on dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra questions Sañjaya about a moment when the Pāṇḍava forces turned back/withdrew, asking what emotional state Sañjaya (or the narratee) experienced and which Kaurava heroes checked which Pāṇḍava champions in that encounter.