Shloka 39

Saubhadra under Concentrated Assault; Pārṣata’s Intervention and Escalation

Devanagari script

पाज्चाल्यमथ संत्यज्य द्रोणो5पि रथिनां वर: । विराटद्रुपदौ वृद्धौ वारयामास संयुगे

Transliteration

Pāñcālyam atha saṁtyajya Droṇo 'pi rathināṁ varaḥ | Virāṭa-Drupadau vṛddhau vārayāmāsa saṁyuge ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then Droṇa too—foremost among chariot-warriors—leaving aside the Pāñcāla prince (Dhṛṣṭadyumna), began to check in battle the two aged kings, Virāṭa and Drupada, preventing their advance. The scene underscores Droṇa’s tactical choice: rather than pursue a single rival, he restrains senior allies of the Pāṇḍavas, curbing their momentum on the field.

Word by Word

• पाञ्चाल्यम्: the Panchala (prince/leader)
• पाञ्चाल्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाञ्चाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अथ: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• संत्यज्य: having abandoned/left
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Active

• द्रोणः: Drona
• द्रोणः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रोण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अपि: also/even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• रथिनाम्: of the chariot-warriors
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• वरः: best/excellent
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• विराट-द्रुपदौ: Virata and Drupada
• विराट-द्रुपदौ: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: विराट (प्रातिपदिक) + द्रुपद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Dual

• वृद्धौ: the two aged (kings)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Dual

• वारयामास: checked/held back
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृ (वारयति) (धातु; causative stem)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada, Active

• संयुगे: in battle
• संयुगे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संयुग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Droṇa (Droṇācārya)
• Pāñcāla (Dhṛṣṭadyumna)
• Virāṭa
• Drupada
• battlefield (saṁyuga)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights battlefield discernment: a commander may set aside a personal opponent to contain broader threats. Ethically, it reflects kṣatriya-dharma as disciplined action—restraining the enemy’s advance to protect one’s formation rather than acting from single-minded rivalry.

What is happening in the narrative?

Droṇa, renowned among chariot-fighters, temporarily disengages from the Pāñcāla prince Dhṛṣṭadyumna and instead blocks the advance of the elderly kings Virāṭa and Drupada on the battlefield.