Shloka 25

Adhyāya 16: Saṃśaptaka-vrata and the Diversion of Arjuna (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय १६)

Devanagari script

त॑ शूरमार्यव्रतिनं मन्त्रास्त्रेषु कृतश्रमम्‌ चक्ररक्षं परामृद्नात्‌ कुमारं द्विजपुड़व:,परंतु द्विजश्रेष्ठ द्रोणाचार्यने शूर, आर्यव्रती एवं मन्त्रास्त्रविद्यामें परिश्रम किये हुए चक्र- रक्षक कुमारको परास्त कर दिया

Transliteration

taṁ śūram āryavratinaṁ mantrāstreṣu kṛtaśramaṁ cakrarakṣaṁ parāmṛdnāt kumāraṁ dvijapuṅgavaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then the bull among Brahmins—Droṇācārya—overpowered that young warrior who was valiant, faithful to noble vows, and well-trained through hard effort in mantra-empowered weapons, even though he was serving as the protector of the chariot-wheel. The episode underscores how, in the brutal logic of war, personal virtue and disciplined training may still be crushed by superior mastery and circumstance.

Word by Word

सःhe (that one)

शूरम्brave

आर्यव्रतिनम्one observing noble vows

मन्त्रास्त्रेषुin mantra-weapons (enchanted missiles)

कृतश्रमम्one who has exerted himself / well-trained

चक्ररक्षम्wheel-guard (protector of the formation)

परामृद्नात्overpowered / crushed / defeated

कुमारम्the young prince / youth

द्विजपुङ्गवःthe best of the twice-born (Brahmin-foremost)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Droṇācārya (implied by dvijapuṅgavaḥ; explicitly in the Hindi gloss)

cakra (chariot wheel)

kumāra (the young chariot-wheel-guard; unnamed in this verse)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Geographic Context

Sandhi Notes