Shloka 5

अध्याय २३ — संजयस्योपप्लव्यगमनम् तथा युधिष्ठिरकुशलप्रश्नाः

Sanjaya’s Arrival at Upaplavya and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Welfare Inquiries

Devanagari script

स्मरन्ति तुभ्यं नरदेव संयुगे युद्धे च जिष्णोश्व युधां प्रणेतु: । समुत्कृष्टे दुन्दुभिशड्खशब्दे गदापार्णिं भीमसेन॑ स्मरन्ति,नरदेव! कौरवगण युद्धकी चर्चा चलनेपर आपको तथा वीराग्रणी अर्जुनको भी स्मरण करते हैं। युद्धकालमें जब दुन्दुभि और शंखकी ध्वनि गूँज उठती है, उस समय उन्हें गदापाणि भीमसेनकी बहुत याद आती है

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | smaranti tubhyaṃ naradeva saṃyuge yuddhe ca jiṣṇoś ca yudhāṃ praṇetuḥ | samutkṛṣṭe dundubhiśaṅkhaśabde gadāpāṇiṃ bhīmasenaṃ smaranti, naradeva |

Translation

Sañjaya said: “O king, in the press of battle they remember you, and they also remember Jishnu (Arjuna), the leader of warriors. And when the din rises high—drums and conches resounding—they especially call to mind Bhīmasena, the mace-bearer.”

Word by Word

• {'smaranti': 'they remember, call to mind', 'tubhyam': 'you (dative singular)', 'naradeva': 'king

• ‘god among men’ (vocative)', 'saṃyuge': 'in battle, in armed encounter', 'yuddhe': 'in war, in fighting', 'jiṣṇoḥ': 'of Jiṣṇu (Arjuna), ‘the victorious’', 'yudhām': 'of fighters/warriors

• of battles (genitive plural sense in compound usage)', 'praṇetuḥ': 'of the leader/commander', 'samutkṛṣṭe': 'when raised high

• when intensified/loud', 'dundubhi': 'war-drum, kettle-drum', 'śaṅkha': 'conch (war-conch)', 'śabde': 'in the sound, in the noise (locative)', 'gadāpāṇim': 'mace-in-hand

• mace-bearer', 'bhīmasenam': 'Bhīmasena (Bhīma)'}

Speaker

सयजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Naradeva (the king, i.e., Dhṛtarāṣṭra by context)
• Jiṣṇu (Arjuna)
• Bhīmasena (Bhīma)
• dundubhi (war-drum)
• śaṅkha (conch)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how, when conflict becomes real and imminent, people instinctively rely on proven leaders and champions. It points to the ethical weight of kingship and command: reputation is forged by readiness to protect and lead in accordance with kṣatriya-dharma, especially under the pressure of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya addresses the king and describes the war-minded atmosphere: as talk of battle and the sounds of martial instruments rise, the Kauravas (and the court) recall key figures—first the king and Arjuna as a foremost commander, and then Bhīma as the feared mace-wielder—indicating anticipation of impending conflict and dependence on these warriors’ prowess.