Shloka 23

Devanagari script

स च्छिन्नधन्वा पाज्चाल्यो निकृत्तध्वजसारथि: । उत्तमामापदं प्राप्य गदां वीर: परामृशत्‌,धनुष, ध्वज और सारथिके नष्ट हो जानेपर भारी विपत्तिमें पड़कर पांचालराजकुमार वीर धृष्टद्युम्नने गदा उठायी

Transliteration

sa cchinnadhanvā pāñcālyo nikṛttadhvajasārathiḥ | uttamām āpadaṃ prāpya gadāṃ vīraḥ parāmṛśat |

Translation

Sañjaya said: When his bow had been cut down, and his banner and charioteer had been struck down, the Pāñcāla prince—heroic Dhṛṣṭadyumna—having fallen into a most perilous crisis, reached for a mace.

Word by Word

सःhe

च्छिन्न-धन्वाwhose bow was cut/broken

पाञ्चाल्यःthe Pāñcāla prince (Dhṛṣṭadyumna)

निकृत्त-ध्वज-सारथिःwhose banner and charioteer were cut down

उत्तमाम्great, extreme

आपदम्calamity, distress

प्राप्यhaving reached/encountered

गदाम्mace

वीरःthe hero

परामृशत्seized/took up

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛṣṭadyumna

Pāñcāla

bow (dhanus)

banner/standard (dhvaja)

charioteer (sārathi)

mace (gadā)

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 steadfastness in kṣatriya-dharma: even when a warrior loses key instruments and support (bow, banner, charioteer), he does not abandon responsibility but adapts—here by taking up a mace—showing resilience and commitment to duty amid adversity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛṣṭadyumna, the Pāñcāla prince, has his bow cut and loses both his banner and charioteer. Facing an extreme danger on the battlefield, he switches weapons and grasps a mace to continue fighting.