Shloka 10

Adhyāya 21 — Duryodhanasya bāṇavarṣaḥ

Duryodhana’s Arrow-Storm and the Dust-Obscured Engagements

Devanagari script

सात्वतौ च महावीर्यो धन्विनौ रथिनां वरौ । अन्योन्यमभ्यधावेतां शस्त्रप्रवरधारिणी

Transliteration

sātvatāu ca mahāvīryo dhanvinau rathināṁ varau | anyonyam abhyadhāvetāṁ śastrapravaradhāriṇī ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: Die beiden Sātvata-Helden—beide von großer Kraft, beide die Ersten unter den Wagenkämpfern und Meister des Bogens—stürmten aufeinander zu, jeder mit erlesenen Waffen gerüstet. Die Szene betont die düstere Dharma des Schlachtfeldes: Tapferkeit und Können zeigen sich in der unmittelbaren Konfrontation, selbst wenn sie in gegenseitige Vernichtung mündet.

Word by Word

सात्वतौthe two Sātvatas (Krishna and Sātyaki / men of the Sātvata line)

चand

महावीर्यौtwo of great valor

धन्विनौtwo bowmen

रथिनाम्of chariot-warriors

वरौthe two best

अन्योन्यम्each other / mutually

अभ्यधावेताम्they two ran towards / charged at

शस्त्रप्रवरधारिणौtwo bearing excellent weapons

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

two Sātvata warriors (unspecified in this pāda)

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 kṣatriya-dharma in its stark form: on the battlefield, warriors are bound to meet courage with courage. Ethical tension remains—heroic excellence is admired, yet it unfolds within the tragic necessity of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes two mighty Sātvata bowmen, eminent chariot-warriors, rushing at each other in direct combat, each equipped with superior weapons—setting the stage for a fierce duel.