Shloka 45

Devanagari script

सैन्धवं पृष्ठतः कृत्वा जिघांसन्तो<च्युतार्जुनौ

Transliteration

saindhavaṁ pṛṣṭhataḥ kṛtvā jighāṁsanto 'cyutārjunau

Translation

Sañjaya said: Keeping the Saindhava behind them, Acyuta (Kṛṣṇa) and Arjuna pressed forward with the intent to kill—driven by the urgent demands of battle and the moral resolve to punish the one held responsible for grievous harm.

Word by Word

• सैन्धवम्: the Sindhu-king (Jayadratha)
• सैन्धवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सैन्धव
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• पृष्ठतः: from behind / at the back
• पृष्ठतः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृष्ठतस्

• कृत्वा: having placed/made
• कृत्वा: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund)

• जिघांसन्तः: wishing to kill / intending to slay
• जिघांसन्तः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अच्युतार्जुनौ: Achyuta and Arjuna (Krishna and Arjuna)
• अच्युतार्जुनौ: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अच्युत + अर्जुन
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Dual

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Saindhava (Jayadratha)
• Acyuta (Kṛṣṇa)
• Arjuna

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights battlefield dharma as a blend of strategy and moral resolve: decisive action is taken against a perceived grave offender, while tactical positioning (placing an enemy to the rear) supports the pursuit of a higher wartime objective.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna moving with lethal intent, positioning Jayadratha (Saindhava) behind them—indicating a tactical maneuver as they advance in the conflict centered on Jayadratha’s role in earlier violence against the Pāṇḍavas.