Shloka 29

द्रोण–सात्यकि-युद्धम्

Droṇa–Sātyaki Engagement

Devanagari script

तद्‌ दृष्टवा तादृशं युद्ध द्रोणपाण्डवयोस्तदा । वासुदेवो महाबुद्धि: कार्यवत्तामचिन्तयत्‌,उस समय द्रोणाचार्य और अर्जुनका वैसा युद्ध देखकर परम बुद्धिमान्‌ वसुदेवनन्दन श्रीकृष्णने मन-ही-मन कर्तव्यका निश्चय कर लिया

Transliteration

tad dṛṣṭvā tādṛśaṃ yuddhaṃ droṇapāṇḍavayos tadā | vāsudevo mahābuddhiḥ kāryavattām acintayat ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Seeing then that kind of battle between Droṇa and the Pāṇḍava (Arjuna), Vāsudeva—of great intelligence—reflected inwardly and resolved upon what needed to be done. The moment signals a shift from mere observation to ethical decision: when the struggle turns critical, Kṛṣṇa weighs duty and timely action to protect the righteous cause.

Word by Word

तत्that (thing/event)

दृष्ट्वाhaving seen

तादृशम्such, of that kind

युद्धम्battle

द्रोणपाण्डवयोःof Drona and the Pandava (Arjuna)

तदाthen, at that time

वासुदेवःVasudeva's son (Krishna)

महाबुद्धिःof great intelligence

कार्यवत्ताम्the state of what should be done; sense of duty/necessary action

अचिन्तयत्he thought/considered; he resolved

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Droṇa (Droṇācārya)

Pāṇḍava (Arjuna implied)

Vāsudeva (Śrī Kṛṣṇa)

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?

When events reach a decisive moral and strategic turning point, wisdom is shown not only in witnessing but in discerning timely duty (kārya) and forming a firm resolve to act for the protection of dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates that Kṛṣṇa, observing the intense combat between Droṇa and Arjuna, internally deliberates and arrives at a decision about the necessary course of action, indicating an impending intervention or counsel in response to the battle’s gravity.