Shloka 19

द्रोण-पार्थ-युद्धम्

Droṇa–Pārtha Strategic Engagement

Devanagari script

कि नो गाव: करिष्यन्ति धनं वा विपुलं तथा । दुर्योधन: पार्थजले पुरा नौरिव मज्जति,'ये गौएँ अथवा प्रचुर धन हमें क्या लाभ पहुँचायेंगे? राजा दुर्योधन पार्थरूपी जलमें पुरानी नावकी भाँति डूबना चाहता है

Transliteration

ki no gāvaḥ kariṣyanti dhanaṃ vā vipulaṃ tathā | duryodhanaḥ pārthajale purā naur iva majjati |

Translation

Was nützen uns Kühe oder selbst großer Reichtum? König Duryodhana versinkt in den Wassern, die die Pārthas sind, wie ein altes Boot—zugrunde gerichtet durch seine eigene Verstocktheit.

Word by Word

किम्what

नःto us/for us

गावःcows

करिष्यन्तिwill do / will accomplish

धनम्wealth

वाor

विपुलम्abundant, great

तथाthus, likewise

दुर्योधनःDuryodhana

पार्थ-जलेin the water (i.e., flood) of the son of Pṛthā (Arjuna)

पुराformerly, as of old

नौःboat

इवlike, as

मज्जतिsinks, is submerged

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Duryodhana

Pārtha (the Pāṇḍavas, implied collectively)

cattle (gāvaḥ)

wealth (dhana)

boat (nauḥ)

water (jala)

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?

Material gains—cattle and wealth—are meaningless when one’s course is driven by adharma and self-destructive pride. The verse warns that greed and obstinacy can make a ruler ‘sink’ despite apparent rewards.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, the speaker dismisses the value of cattle or riches in the present situation, emphasizing that Duryodhana, by opposing the Pārthas, is heading toward ruin—likened to an old boat sinking in water.