Shloka 256

Devanagari script

दुःशासनादवरजैस्तव पुत्रैर्धनंजय: । इसी समय आपके दस वीर पुत्रोंने, जो योद्धाओंमें श्रेष्ठ और दुःशासनसे छोटे थे, अर्जुनको चारों ओरसे घेर लिया

Transliteration

duḥśāsanād avarajais tava putrair dhanañjayaḥ | asmin samaye tava daśa vīra-putrāḥ yoddhṛṣu śreṣṭhāḥ duḥśāsanāt kaniṣṭhāḥ arjunam sarvataḥ paryavārayann iti |

Translation

Sañjaya said: At that very moment, your ten valiant sons—warriors of high repute and younger than Duḥśāsana—surrounded Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) on all sides. The scene underscores how, in the press of war, numerical force and coordinated encirclement are used to check a single formidable fighter, even as kinship ties are overridden by the demands of battle.

Word by Word

• दुःशासनात्: from Duhshasana
• दुःशासनात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःशासन
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• अवरजैः: by the younger ones
• अवरजैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अवरज
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Singular

• पुत्रैः: by (your) sons
• पुत्रैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• धनंजयः: Dhananjaya (Arjuna)
• धनंजयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनंजय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Duḥśāsana
• Arjuna (Dhanañjaya)
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by 'tava')
• Kaurava princes (the ten sons mentioned)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a battlefield ethic: when facing an exceptionally powerful warrior, opponents often rely on coordinated collective action. It also reflects how, in war, familial bonds yield to kṣatriya-duty and tactical necessity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that ten of the king’s sons, younger than Duḥśāsana, close in and surround Arjuna from all directions, attempting to contain or overwhelm him through encirclement.