Shloka 17

धृतराष्ट्र-संजय-संवादः — दुर्योधनस्य ह्रदप्रवेशः

Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Saṃjaya Dialogue: Duryodhana’s Entry into the Lake

Devanagari script

इस प्रकार उस महासमरमें जब कौरवोंके पास बहुत थोड़ी सेना शेष रह गयी, तब हर्ष और उत्साहमें भरकर पाण्डव वीर उन सबको यमलोक पहुँचाने लगे ।।

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

isaṃ prakāraṃ tasmin mahāsamare yadā kauravāṇāṃ samīpe bahu alpā senā śeṣābhavat, tadā harṣotsāhena pūrṇāḥ pāṇḍavavīrāḥ tān sarvān yamalokaṃ prāpayituṃ pravṛttāḥ ||

etasminn antare śūraḥ sauvāleyaḥ pratāpavān |

prāsena sahadevasya śirasi prāharad bhūśam ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: In that great battle, when only a very small remnant of the Kaurava army was left, the Pāṇḍava heroes—filled with joy and renewed ardour—set about sending them all to the realm of Yama. Just then, the valiant and mighty son of Subala, Śakuni (the Sauvāleya), struck Sahadeva hard on the head with his spear.

Word by Word

• {'sañjaya uvāca': 'Sañjaya said', 'mahāsamara': 'great battle, vast combat', 'kaurava': 'the Kauravas

• sons/party of Dhṛtarāṣṭra', 'senā': 'army, host', 'śeṣa': 'remaining, left over', 'harṣa': 'joy, exhilaration', 'utsāha': 'energy, zeal, martial ardour', 'pāṇḍava-vīra': 'Pāṇḍava hero/warrior', 'yamaloka': 'the world/realm of Yama (lord of death)', 'etasminn antare': 'in the meantime

• just then', 'śūra': 'heroic, brave warrior', 'sauvāleya': 'descendant of Suvala/Saubala line

• epithet of Śakuni', 'pratāpavān': 'mighty, powerful, possessing prowess', 'prāsa': 'spear, lance', 'śiras': 'head', 'prāharat': 'struck, smote', 'bhūśam': 'violently, heavily, with great force'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Kauravas
• Pāṇḍavas
• Yama
• Yamaloka
• Śakuni (Sauvāleya, son of Subala)
• Subala
• Sahadeva
• Prāsa (spear)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the grim moral atmosphere of war: when armies collapse, exhilaration and zeal can surge, yet the outcome remains death and accountability (symbolized by Yamaloka). It reflects the tension within kṣatriya-dharma—valor and duty in battle—while reminding that violence inevitably leads to mortality and consequence.

What is happening in the narrative?

As the Kaurava forces are reduced to a small remainder, the Pāṇḍava warriors press the advantage with heightened enthusiasm. At that moment, Śakuni (called Sauvāleya), son of Subala, delivers a heavy spear-blow to Sahadeva’s head.