Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 19

Śalya Installed as Commander; Coalition Agreement and Battle Arrays (शल्यसेनापत्यारोहणं व्यूहवर्णनं च)

Devanagari script

अद्य सैन्यानि पाण्डूनां द्रावयिष्ये समन्‍्तत:

Transliteration

adya sainyāni pāṇḍūnāṁ drāvayiṣye samantataḥ | iti satyaṁ bravīmy eṣa duryodhana na saṁśayaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Today I shall rout the armies of the Pāṇḍavas on every side. This I declare as truth to you, O Duryodhana—there is no doubt.”

Word by Word

• अद्य: today
• अद्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य

• सैन्यानि: armies
• सैन्यानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सैन्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• पाण्डूनाम्: of the Pāṇḍus / of the Pāṇḍavas
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डु
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• द्रावयिष्ये: I will cause to flee / I will rout
• Type: Verb
• Root: द्रु (द्रावयति)
• Form: Simple Future (Luṭ), 1st, Singular, Parasmaipada, Causative (णिच्)

• समन्ततः: on all sides, all around
• समन्ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: समन्ततः

• इति: thus (quotative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• सत्यम्: truth
• सत्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• ब्रवीमि: I speak / I say
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू
• Form: Present (Laṭ), 1st, Singular, Parasmaipada

• एषः: this (one/statement)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• दुर्योधन: O Duryodhana
• दुर्योधन: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्योधन
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Duryodhana
• Pāṇḍavas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how certainty and martial resolve are voiced as ‘truth’ in war, yet it also points to the ethical tension of prideful assurance—confidence can become a force that accelerates conflict and blinds one to consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a warrior’s declaration to Duryodhana: a promise that the Pāṇḍava forces will be driven away on all sides that very day, presented as an unequivocal assurance with ‘no doubt’.