Shloka 14

मārkaṇḍeya-ukta yuddha-vyūha-pratyavyūhaḥ

Battle Formations and Countermeasures in the Rāmopākhyāna

Devanagari script

यस्या हि कृष्णौ पदवीं चरेतां समास्थितावेकरथे समेतौ । इन्द्रोडपि तां नापहरेत्‌ कथंचि- न्मनुष्यमात्र: कृपण: कुतोडन्य:,एक रथपर बैठे हुए भगवान्‌ श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुन साथ होकर जिसकी खोजमें निकलेंगे, उस द्रौपदीको देवराज इन्द्र भी किसी तरह हरकर नहीं ले जा सकते। फिर दूसरे किसी दीन-हीन मनुष्यकी तो बिसात ही क्या है?

Transliteration

yasyā hi kṛṣṇau padavīṃ caretāṃ samāsthitāv ekarathe sametau | indro 'pi tāṃ nāpaharet kathaṃcin manuṣyamātraḥ kṛpaṇaḥ kuto 'nyaḥ ||

Translation

Jayadratha said: “If the two Kṛṣṇas—Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna—set out together on her trail, standing united upon a single chariot, then even Indra could not carry Draupadī off by any means. How, then, could any other mere human—wretched and powerless—hope to do so?”

Word by Word

• {'yasyāḥ': 'of whom/whose (here: of her, i.e., Draupadī)', 'hi': 'indeed, for', 'kṛṣṇau': 'the two ‘Kṛṣṇas’ (Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, who is also called Kṛṣṇa)', 'padavīm': 'track, path, trail (to be followed in pursuit)', 'caretām': 'would move about, would pursue (dual, optative/conditional sense)', 'samāsthitau': 'standing firm, mounted, stationed (dual)', 'ekarathe': 'on one chariot', 'sametau': 'together, united (dual)', 'indraḥ api': 'even Indra', 'tām': 'her (Draupadī)', 'na apaharet': 'would not carry off, could not abduct', 'kathaṃcit': 'in any way, by any means', 'manuṣyamātraḥ': 'a mere human', 'kṛpaṇaḥ': 'wretched, pitiable, mean, powerless', 'kutaḥ anyaḥ': 'how much less anyone else?'}

Speaker

जयद्रथ उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Jayadratha
• Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva)
• Arjuna (also called Kṛṣṇa)
• Indra
• Draupadī
• chariot (ratha)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Adharma such as abducting a protected woman invites inevitable retribution; true strength lies with righteous allies, and even divine power is portrayed as unable to override the moral and martial protection embodied by Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna.

What is happening in the narrative?

Jayadratha reflects on the futility of taking Draupadī when Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna are united in pursuit; he emphasizes their unmatched capability, implying that no ordinary man can succeed against them.