Shloka 21

Devanagari script

मदर्थे प्रतियुद्धयेतां मानाहौँ सत्यसड्रौ । मां वा शल्यो रणे हन्ता त॑ वाहं भद्गमस्तु व:,'क्षत्रिय-धर्मको सामने रखते हुए ये सम्मान पानेके योग्य सत्यप्रतिज्ञ नकुल और सहदेव मेरे लिये समरांगणमें अपने मामाके साथ अच्छी तरह युद्ध करें। फिर या तो शल्य रणभूमिमें मुझे मार डालें या मैं उनका वध कर डालूँ। आप लोगोंका कल्याण हो

Transliteration

madarthe pratiyuddhyetāṁ mānārhau satyasaṅgarau | māṁ vā śalyo raṇe hantā taṁ vāhaṁ bhadram astu vaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “For my sake, let Nakula and Sahadeva—worthy of honor and steadfast in their pledged resolve—fight their maternal uncle in the battlefield, keeping the kṣatriya code before them. Then either Śalya will slay me in combat, or I shall kill him. May welfare be yours.”

Word by Word

• {'madarthe': 'for my sake

• on my account', 'pratiyuddhyetām': 'let the two fight back/engage in battle (dual, optative/imperative sense)', 'mānārhau': 'worthy of honor/respect', 'satya-saṅgarau': 'true to their vow

• steadfast in their pledged combat/resolve (dual)', 'śalyaḥ': 'Śalya (king of Madra), maternal uncle of Nakula and Sahadeva', 'raṇe': 'in battle

• on the battlefield', 'hantā': 'slayer

• will kill', 'tam': 'him', 'aham': 'I', 'bhadram astu vaḥ': 'may there be auspiciousness/welfare for you (plural)'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Nakula
• Sahadeva
• Śalya
• raṇa (battlefield)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds kṣatriya-dharma: honor-bound warriors must uphold their pledged duty even when it demands fighting close kin. Truthfulness to one’s vow and readiness to accept the battle’s outcome are treated as ethical imperatives within the warrior code.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a martial resolve: Nakula and Sahadeva are urged to fight their maternal uncle Śalya for the speaker’s sake, with the stark alternative that either Śalya will kill the speaker in battle or the speaker will kill Śalya—ending with a formal benediction for the listeners’ welfare.