Shloka 39

द्रोणपर्व (अध्याय १) — भीष्मनिधनानन्तरं धृतराष्ट्रस्य शोकः, सेनायाः स्थितिः, कर्णस्मरणं च

Droṇa Parva, Chapter 1: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s grief after Bhīṣma’s fall and the army’s reorientation toward Karṇa

Devanagari script

त्वया तु पाण्डवेयेषु निहतेषु महामृधे । दुर्योधनमनुज्ञाप्य वनं यास्यामि कौरव,राजन! अर्धरथी बतानेके कारण ही क्रोधवश उसने गंगानन्दन भीष्मसे कहा --'कुरुनन्दन! आपके जीते-जी मैं कदापि युद्ध नहीं करूँगा। कौरव! यदि आप उस महासमरमें पाण्डुपुत्रोंको मार डालेंगे तो मैं दुर्योधनकी अनुमति लेकर वनको चला जाऊँगा

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

tvayā tu pāṇḍaveyeṣu nihateṣu mahāmṛdhe |

duryodhanam anu-jñāpya vanaṁ yāsyāmi kaurava-rājan ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “O Kaurava king, if in that great and terrible battle the sons of Pāṇḍu are slain by you, then, having obtained Duryodhana’s permission, I shall depart for the forest.”

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'tvayā', 'definition': 'by you (instrumental singular of ‘tvam’)'}, {'term': 'pāṇḍaveyeṣu', 'definition': 'among/with regard to the Pāṇḍavas

• in the case of the sons of Pāṇḍu (locative plural)'}, {'term': 'nihateṣu', 'definition': 'when slain

• after being killed (locative plural past passive participle of √han)'}, {'term': 'mahāmṛdhe', 'definition': 'in the great battle/strife (locative singular

• mṛdha = combat)'}, {'term': 'duryodhanam', 'definition': 'Duryodhana (accusative singular)'}, {'term': 'anujñāpya', 'definition': 'having asked/obtained permission

• having secured consent (absolutive/gerund)'}, {'term': 'vanam', 'definition': 'to the forest (accusative singular

• destination)'}, {'term': 'yāsyāmi', 'definition': 'I shall go (1st person singular, future of √yā)'}, {'term': 'kaurava-rājan', 'definition': 'O Kaurava king (vocative

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pāṇḍavas (sons of Pāṇḍu)
• Duryodhana
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by 'Kaurava king')
• Forest (vana)
• Great battle (mahāmṛdha)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even a ‘victory’ achieved through the annihilation of kin can become morally unbearable; the verse frames withdrawal to the forest as a response to the ethical weight of mass slaughter, implying that power and triumph are hollow when purchased by adharma-like devastation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a resolve: if the Pāṇḍavas are killed in the great battle by the Kaurava side, he will seek Duryodhana’s consent and then leave for the forest—signaling disgust with the outcome and a turn toward renunciation after catastrophic bloodshed.