Shloka 24

Devanagari script

सात्वतेनैवमाक्षिप्त: पार्षत: परुषाक्षरम्‌

Transliteration

sātvatenaivam ākṣiptaḥ pārṣataḥ paruṣākṣaram

Translation

Sañjaya said: Thus provoked by the Sātvata, the son of Pārṣata replied with harsh words—showing how, under the pressures of war, even great warriors are driven from restraint into cutting speech.

Word by Word

• सात्वतेन: by the Sātvata (Kṛṣṇa)
• सात्वतेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सात्वत
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• एवम्: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम्

• आक्षिप्तः: rebuked/taunted (having been addressed harshly)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-क्षिप्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, क्त (past passive participle)

• पार्षतः: the son of Pṛṣata (Dhṛṣṭadyumna)
• पार्षतः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्षत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• परुषाक्षरम्: harsh word(s)
• परुषाक्षरम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परुषाक्षर
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Sātvata (Kṛṣṇa)
• Pārṣata (Dhṛṣṭadyumna)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical danger of harsh speech: provocation in a charged setting like war can push even capable leaders into verbal aggression, which further inflames conflict and weakens self-restraint (dama) expected in dharmic conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that after being challenged/taunted by Kṛṣṇa (the Sātvata), Dhṛṣṭadyumna (the Pārṣata) responds with severe, cutting words—signaling a tense exchange among the Pāṇḍava side during the Drona-parvan events.