Shloka 16

Abhimanyu-śravaṇa-prastāva and Cakravyūha-vinyāsa

Prelude to Abhimanyu’s Account and the Wheel-Formation Deployment

Devanagari script

द्रोणेन व्याहते त्वेवे संशप्तकगणा: पुनः । आह्वयन्नर्जुनं संख्ये दक्षिणामभितो दिशम्‌,द्रोणाचार्यके ऐसा कहनेपर पुनः संशप्तकगणोंने दक्षिण दिशामें जा अर्जुनको युद्धके लिये ललकारा

Transliteration

droṇena vyāhate tv eva saṁśaptakagaṇāḥ punaḥ | āhvayann arjunaṁ saṅkhye dakṣiṇām abhito diśam ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Even as Droṇa was thus engaged in combat, the band of the Saṁśaptakas once again challenged Arjuna on the battlefield, drawing him toward the southern quarter. The episode underscores a deliberate tactic of war: to distract a principal warrior from the main front by provoking him with a vowed, relentless enemy-host.

Word by Word

• द्रोणेन: by Drona
• द्रोणेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रोण
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• व्याहते: having spoken/uttered
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-आ-हन्
• Form: Perfect (Paroksha), Third, Singular, Atmanepada

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• एव: just/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• संशप्तक-गणाः: the band of the Samsaptakas
• संशप्तक-गणाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशप्तकगण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पुनः: again
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः

• आह्वयन्: challenging/calling
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-ह्वा
• Form: Shatr (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अर्जुनम्: Arjuna
• अर्जुनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्जुन
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• संख्ये: in battle
• संख्ये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संख्या
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• दक्षिणाम्: the southern (direction)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिणा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• अभितः: towards/around
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अभितः

• दिशम्: direction
• दिशम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिश्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Droṇa
• Saṁśaptakas
• Arjuna
• Southern direction (Dakṣiṇā diś)