Shloka 24

धृतराष्ट्रविलापः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Inquiry (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 2)

Devanagari script

एको5प्येषां महाराज समर्थ: संनिवारणे । समरे पाण्डवेयानां संक्रुद्धो ह्भिधावताम्‌

Transliteration

eko 'py eṣāṁ mahārāja samarthaḥ saṁnivāraṇe | samare pāṇḍaveyānāṁ saṁkruddho 'bhidhāvatām ||

Translation

Dhṛtarāṣṭra sprach: „O großer König, selbst einer von ihnen vermag im Kampf die Pāṇḍava-Krieger aufzuhalten—zumal, wenn er im Zorn entbrennt und sie geradewegs heranstürmen.“

Word by Word

एकःalone, single

अपिeven, also

एषाम्of these (men)

महाराजO great king

समर्थःcapable

संनिवारणेin checking/warding off

समरेin battle

पाण्डवेयानाम्of the Pandava warriors

संक्रुद्धःenraged

अभिधावताम्of those charging/attacking

Speaker

धघतयाट्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Pāṇḍavas (Pāṇḍaveyāḥ)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how, in war, a single exceptionally capable warrior can restrain a larger force—underscoring the ethical weight of individual power and the responsibility that comes with martial prowess.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra speaks to a kingly interlocutor, emphasizing the battlefield reality that even one of the opposing champions can check the Pāṇḍava fighters when angered and confronted by their direct assault.