Shloka 24

Devanagari script

त्वरमाणास्त्वराकाले सर्वशस्त्रभृतां वरा: । मज्जन्तमिव पाताले बलिनोड्प्युज्जिहीर्षव:,'शीघ्रताके अवसरपर शीघ्रता करनेवाले सम्पूर्ण शस्त्रधारियोंमें श्रेष्ठ बलवान्‌ पाण्डव- योद्धा युधिष्ठिरका ऐसी अवस्थामें उद्धार करनेके लिये उत्सुक दिखायी देते हैं, मानो वे पातालमें डूब रहे हों

Transliteration

tvaramāṇās tvarākāle sarvaśastrabhṛtāṃ varāḥ | majjantaṃ iva pātāle balino ’py ujjihīrṣavaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: In jenem Augenblick, der äußerste Eile verlangte, sah man die mächtigen Pāṇḍava-Krieger—die Vornehmsten unter allen Waffenträgern—nach vorn stürmen, begierig, (Yudhiṣṭhira) zu retten, als sänke er in Pātāla, die Unterwelt, hinab.

Word by Word

• {'tvaramāṇāḥ': 'hastening, rushing', 'tvarākāle': 'at a time requiring haste

• in an urgent moment', 'sarva-śastra-bhṛtām': 'of all weapon-bearers/armed warriors', 'varāḥ': 'the best, foremost', 'majjantam': 'sinking, drowning', 'iva': 'as if, like', 'pātāle': 'in Pātāla

• the netherworld/underworld', 'balinaḥ': 'strong, powerful (men)', 'api': 'even, indeed', 'ujjihīrṣavaḥ': 'wishing to lift out/rescue

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pāṇḍava warriors
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Pātāla (netherworld)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even amid the chaos of war, dharmic responsibility expresses itself as steadfast loyalty and protective action toward one’s rightful leader; urgency is justified when it serves preservation of life and righteous order.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the Pāṇḍava fighters rushing in an urgent moment, appearing intent on saving Yudhiṣṭhira, likened to rescuing someone sinking into Pātāla—an image conveying extreme danger and immediate intervention.