Shloka 21

भीमसेनस्य वेगाभिपातः—विशोकसारथिसंवादश्च

Bhīma’s surge and dialogue with charioteer Viśoka

Devanagari script

ततो धर्मसुतो राजन्‌ प्रगृह्मान्यन्महद्‌ धनु:

Transliteration

tato dharmasuto rājan pragṛhṇānyan mahad dhanuḥ

Translation

Then, O King, Dharmasuta (Yudhiṣṭhira), taking up another great bow, readied himself again—showing renewed resolve amid the moral strain of battle and the duty-bound need to continue the fight.

Word by Word

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात् अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (तस्मात्/ततः = thereafter/from there)

• धर्मसुतः: the son of Dharma (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• धर्मसुतः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मसुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• प्रगृह्मान्: taking up/seizing
• प्रगृह्मान्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग)
• Form: वर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अन्यत्: another
• अन्यत्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• महत्: great/large
• महत्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• धनुः: bow
• धनुः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dharmasuta (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• bow (dhanuḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even the most dharma-minded ruler must sometimes act decisively in war: the verse highlights steadfastness in duty (kṣatriya-dharma) while acknowledging the ethical weight carried by Yudhiṣṭhira, who proceeds not from cruelty but from obligation and responsibility.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Yudhiṣṭhira, identified as Dharmasuta, takes up another powerful bow—an action marking readiness to re-engage or continue the combat sequence in the Karṇa Parva battle narrative.