Shloka 33

Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 155 — Ghaṭotkaca-nidhana-śoka and Karṇa-śakti-vyaya

Kṛṣṇa’s strategic reassurance

Devanagari script

ततो युधिष्ठिर: क्रुद्धों निमेषादिव कार्मुकम्‌

Transliteration

tato yudhiṣṭhiraḥ kruddho nimeṣād iva kārmukam

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then Yudhiṣṭhira, inflamed with anger, in an instant—as quickly as the blink of an eye—seized his bow, signaling a sudden shift from restraint to immediate readiness for battle.

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात्)

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• क्रुद्धः: angry
• क्रुद्धः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रुध् (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त: क्रुद्ध)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• निमेषात्: than a blink (of the eye)
• निमेषात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: निमेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• इव: like, as if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• कार्मुकम्: bow
• कार्मुकम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्मुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• bow (kārmuka)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The line highlights how swiftly inner emotion can translate into outward action: even a dharma-minded king like Yudhiṣṭhira can be driven to immediate martial resolve. It implicitly raises the ethical tension between righteous restraint and the kṣatriya obligation to respond decisively in war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Yudhiṣṭhira becomes angry and, in a moment as quick as a blink, takes up his bow—an abrupt preparation to act on the battlefield, marking a transition from deliberation to immediate engagement.