Shloka 17

अध्याय ३: कृपस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति नीत्युपदेशः

Kṛpa’s Counsel to Duryodhana

Devanagari script

समरे युद्धयमानं हि कौन्तेयो मां धनंजय:

Transliteration

samare yuddhayamānaṃ hi kaunteyo māṃ dhanaṃjayaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „Wahrlich, mitten im Kampfgetümmel, während ich im Gefecht stand, trat der Sohn der Kuntī — Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) — an mich heran / sprach mich an.“

Word by Word

• समरे: in battle
• समरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: समर
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• युद्धयमानम्: fighting, engaged in battle
• युद्धयमानम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: युद्धयमान (युध् धातु, आत्मनेपद वर्तमान कृदन्त)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• हि: indeed/for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• कौन्तेयः: the son of Kunti (Arjuna)
• कौन्तेयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौन्तेय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Accusative, Singular

• धनंजयः: Dhananjaya (Arjuna)
• धनंजयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनंजय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Arjuna (Dhanañjaya, Kaunteya)
• Kuntī

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds the immediacy of dharma-in-action: even amid violent conflict, communication and recognition of roles persist. By naming Arjuna through honorific epithets (Kaunteya, Dhanañjaya), the narrative frames him as a dharmic agent whose identity and responsibility remain central in the chaos of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya, narrating events, states that while he was actively fighting on the battlefield, Arjuna (Kaunteya, Dhanañjaya) addressed or came to him—setting up the next lines that will clarify what Arjuna said or did.