Shloka 49

Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)

Devanagari script

भगदत्तेन समरे काल्यमानेषु पाण्डुषु

Transliteration

bhagadattena samare kālyamāneṣu pāṇḍuṣu

Translation

Sañjaya said: In the thick of battle, as the Pāṇḍavas were hard-pressed by Bhagadatta, the struggle took on a grim urgency, testing resolve and duty amid the violence of war.

Word by Word

• भगदत्तेन: by Bhagadatta
• भगदत्तेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगदत्त
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• समरे: in battle
• समरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: समर
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• काल्यमानेषु: being harassed/afflicted (being pressed hard)
• काल्यमानेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काल्यमान
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Plural

• पाण्डुषु: among the Pāṇḍavas / in the Pāṇḍavas
• पाण्डुषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डु
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhagadatta
• Pāṇḍavas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The line underscores the ethical tension of kṣatriya-dharma: even when overwhelmed by a powerful foe, warriors are expected to hold their ground with steadiness, meeting adversity without abandoning duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Bhagadatta is forcefully attacking and pressuring the Pāṇḍavas in the battle, indicating a moment where the Pāṇḍava side is being driven hard and the combat intensifies.