Mahabharata 7.113.2 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 113, Shloka 2

Adhyāya 113: Karṇa–Bhīma Śaravarṣa and the Battlefield Aftermath (कर्णभीमशरवर्षः)

Devanagari script

धर्मराजस्य तद्‌ वाक्‍्यं निशम्य शिनिपुज्भव: । सात्यकिर्भरतश्रेष्ठ प्रत्युवाच युधिष्ठिरम्‌

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | dharmarājasya tad vākyaṃ niśamya śinipuṅgavaḥ | sātyakir bharataśreṣṭha pratyuvāca yudhiṣṭhiram ||

Translation

Sanjaya said: O king, having heard that statement of Dharmaraja (Yudhishthira)—a speech marked by affection, pleasing to the mind, sweet in expression, timely, striking, fit to be spoken, and grounded in justice—Satyaki, the foremost of the Shinis, replied to Yudhishthira in this manner, O best of the Bharatas.

Word by Word

• {'sañjaya uvāca': 'Sanjaya said', 'dharmarājasya': 'of Dharmaraja (Yudhishthira), the king devoted to dharma', 'tad vākyaṃ': 'that statement/speech', 'niśamya': 'having heard, after listening', 'śinipuṅgavaḥ': 'the foremost/bull among the Shinis (an epithet of Satyaki)', 'sātyakiḥ': 'Satyaki (Yuyudhana), a Vrishni/Shini warrior allied with the Pandavas', 'bharataśreṣṭha': 'O best of the Bharatas (honorific address)', 'pratyuvāca': 'replied, answered in return', 'yudhiṣṭhiram': 'to Yudhishthira'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Dharmaraja (Yudhishthira)
• Satyaki (Yuyudhana)
• Shini (clan reference)
• Bharatas (dynastic reference)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical ideal of speech: words should be affectionate, pleasing, sweet, timely, appropriate, and aligned with justice (nyaya). In the midst of war, dharmic communication remains a guiding standard for leaders and allies.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports to King Dhritarashtra that Yudhishthira has spoken in a commendably dharmic manner. After hearing him, Satyaki—described as the foremost of the Shinis—responds to Yudhishthira, setting up the next portion of dialogue.