Shloka 18

Devanagari script

इति कृष्णा महाबाहू मिथो5कथयतां तदा | सिन्धुराजमवेक्षन्तौ त्वत्पुत्रा बहु चुक्रुशु:,सिन्धुराज जयद्रथकी खोज करते हुए महाबाहु श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुनने उस समय जब आपसमें उपर्युक्त बातें कहीं, तब आपके पुत्र बहुत कोलाहल करने लगे

Transliteration

iti kṛṣṇā mahābāhū mitho 'kathayatāṃ tadā | sindhurājam avekṣantau tvatputrā bahu cukruśuḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “While Kṛṣṇa and the mighty-armed Arjuna were thus speaking with one another, keeping their eyes on the king of Sindhu (Jayadratha), your sons raised a great outcry.”

Word by Word

इतिthus

कृष्णःKrishna

महाबाहूthe two mighty-armed (Krishna and Arjuna)

मिथःmutually, with each other

अकथयताम्were speaking / talked

तदाthen

सिन्धुराजम्the king of Sindhu (Jayadratha)

अवेक्षन्तौlooking at / observing

त्वत्your

पुत्राःsons

बहुmuch, greatly

चुक्रुशुःcried out, shouted

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Kṛṣṇa

Arjuna

Jayadratha (Sindhurāja)

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by 'tvat')

Kauravas (implied by 'tvatputrāḥ')

Sindhu (kingdom/region)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the psychological dimension of dharma-yuddha: decisive focus and coordinated counsel (Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna fixing their attention on Jayadratha) contrasts with reactive noise and agitation (the Kauravas’ clamour). It implies that clarity of aim and disciplined action are ethically and strategically superior to panic-driven uproar.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, after speaking together, keep Jayadratha in view; seeing this, the Kaurava side—called ‘your sons’—erupts in loud cries, indicating alarm at the imminent threat to Jayadratha.