Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ऑपनआक्रात बछ। जि: चतुष्पठ्चाशत्तमोडध्याय: संजयका धृतराष्ट्रको उनके दोष बताते हुए दुर्योधनपर शासन करनेकी सलाह देना संजय उवाच एवमेतन्महाराज यथा वदसि भारत | युद्धे विनाश: क्षत्रस्य गाण्डीवेन प्रदृश्यते,संजयने कहा--महाराज! आप जैसा कह रहे हैं, वही ठीक है। भारत! युद्धमें तो गाण्डीव धनुषके द्वारा क्षत्रियसमुदायका विनाश ही दिखायी देता है

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | evam etan mahārāja yathā vadasi bhārata | yuddhe vināśaḥ kṣatrasya gāṇḍīvena pradṛśyate ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Yes, O great king, it is exactly as you say, O descendant of Bharata. In war, what is seen ahead is the destruction of the warrior order—brought about by the Gāṇḍīva bow.”

Word by Word

संजयःSanjaya

उवाचsaid

एवम्thus, in this way

एतत्this (is)

महाराजO great king

यथाas, just as

वदसिyou say

भारतO Bharata (descendant of Bharata)

युद्धेin battle

विनाशःdestruction

क्षत्रस्यof the Kshatra/warrior class

गाण्डीवेनby (means of) the Gandiva bow

प्रदृश्यतेis seen, appears

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Bhārata (dynastic epithet)

Gāṇḍīva (Arjuna’s bow)

kṣatra (warrior order)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Sañjaya underscores the ethical and political warning that war does not merely decide claims—it visibly leads to the ruin of the kṣatriya order itself; hence a ruler should restrain wrongdoing and avert catastrophic conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Udyoga Parva, as tensions move toward the Kurukṣetra war, Sañjaya speaks to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, agreeing with his assessment and emphasizing that Arjuna’s Gāṇḍīva signifies a grim outcome: widespread slaughter of warriors if war proceeds.