Shloka 18

Droṇa’s Defensive Stand and Abhimanyu Commissioned to Breach the Cakravyūha (द्रोणानीक-प्रतिरोधः; सौभद्र-नियोजनम्)

Devanagari script

पौत्रं तव पुरस्कृत्य लक्ष्मणं प्रियदर्शनम्‌ । अन्योन्यसमदु:खास्ते अन्योन्यसमसाहसा:,उन्होंने आपके प्रियदर्शन पौत्र लक्ष्मणको आगे करके धावा किया था। उन सबने एक- दूसरेके दुःखको समान समझा था और वे परस्पर समानभावसे साहसी थे

Transliteration

pautraṁ tava puraskṛtya lakṣmaṇaṁ priyadarśanam | anyonyasama-duḥkhās te anyonyasama-sāhasāḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Placing your grandson Lakṣmaṇa—pleasing to behold—at their forefront, they charged ahead. Bound together in fellowship, they regarded one another’s sorrow as their own and displayed equal courage in mutual support.

Word by Word

पौत्रम्grandson

तवof you/your

पुरस्कृत्यhaving placed in front; putting forward

लक्ष्मणम्Lakshmana (proper name)

प्रियदर्शनम्pleasant-to-see; handsome

अन्योन्य-सम-दुःखाःsharing equal sorrow with one another; mutually equal in grief

तेthey/those

अन्योन्य-सम-साहसाःmutually equal in boldness/valor

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Lakṣmaṇa (grandson of Dhṛtarāṣṭra)

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 underscores the ethical complexity of war: comradeship and shared empathy can strengthen collective courage. Such solidarity is morally powerful in itself, yet it can be harnessed for destructive aims, reminding readers to examine not only virtues like bravery and loyalty but also the cause they serve.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the warriors advanced with Lakṣmaṇa at their head. They moved as a tightly bonded group—sharing one another’s grief and matching one another’s daring—suggesting a coordinated charge driven by mutual commitment.