Shloka 443

Devanagari script

सिद्धचारणसंघाश्न विदुद्रोणस्य कर्म तत्‌ । प्रजानाथ! रणभूमिमें शीघ्रतापूर्वक विचरनेवाले सात्यकिकी उस फुर्तीको देवताओं, गन्धर्वों, सिद्धों और चारणसमूहोंने पहले कभी नहीं देखा था। वे जानते थे कि केवल द्रोणाचार्य ही वैसा पराक्रम कर सकते हैं (परंतु उस दिन उन्होंने सात्यकिका पराक्रम भी प्रत्यक्ष देख लिया)

Transliteration

siddhacāraṇasaṅghāś ca viduḥ droṇasya karma tat | prajānātha raṇabhūmau śīghratāpūrvakaṃ vicarataḥ sātyakeḥ tāṃ sphūrtim devā gandharvāḥ siddhāś ca cāraṇagaṇāḥ pūrvaṃ na kadācana dadṛśuḥ | te jānanti sma yathā kevalaṃ droṇa eva tādṛśaṃ parākramaṃ kartum arhati iti (kintu tadā te sātyakeḥ parākramaṃ pratyakṣam apaśyan) |

Translation

Sañjaya said: The companies of Siddhas and Cāraṇas knew well that such a feat belonged to Droṇa. O lord of men, the gods, Gandharvas, Siddhas, and hosts of Cāraṇas had never before witnessed the battlefield-swiftness and agile prowess of Sātyaki as he ranged rapidly over the field. They had believed that only Droṇācārya could display such might—yet on that day they saw Sātyaki’s heroism with their own eyes.

Word by Word

• {'siddha': 'a perfected being

• semi-divine accomplished sage', 'cāraṇa': 'a celestial bard

• herald who praises heroes', 'saṅgha/gaṇa': 'company, host, multitude', 'viduḥ': 'they knew, they understood', 'droṇasya karma': 'Droṇa’s deed/feat

• the characteristic exploit of Droṇa', 'prajānātha': 'lord of people

• king (address to Dhṛtarāṣṭra)', 'raṇabhūmi': 'battlefield', 'śīghratā': 'swiftness, speed', 'vicarati': 'moves about, ranges, roams', 'sātyaki': 'Yādava warrior, ally of the Pāṇḍavas', 'sphūrti': 'agile energy, spirited prowess, quickness', 'devāḥ': 'gods', 'gandharvāḥ': 'celestial musicians/spirits', 'pūrvaṃ na kadācana dadṛśuḥ': 'never before did they see', 'parākrama': 'valor, heroic might', 'pratyakṣa': 'directly, before one’s eyes'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Droṇa (Droṇācārya)
• Sātyaki
• Siddhas
• Cāraṇas
• Devas
• Gandharvas
• Raṇabhūmi (battlefield)
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by address prajānātha)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Extraordinary excellence is not confined to reputation or a single celebrated figure; direct witnessing can overturn assumptions. The verse highlights how even celestial observers revise their judgment when confronted with lived evidence of virtue and prowess.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that celestial beings—Devas, Gandharvas, Siddhas, and Cāraṇas—watch Sātyaki moving with astonishing speed and skill on the battlefield. They had associated such feats only with Droṇa, but now they see Sātyaki display comparable heroism.