Shloka 29

गदायुद्ध-समारम्भः

Commencement of the Mace-Duel Proceedings

Devanagari script

धार्तराष्ट्रबले शेषास्त्रयः समितिमर्दना: । कृपश्च कृतवर्मा च द्रोणपुत्रश्न वीर्यवान्‌

Transliteration

nārada uvāca |

dhārtarāṣṭrabale śeṣās trayaḥ samitimardanāḥ |

kṛpaś ca kṛtavarmā ca droṇaputraś ca vīryavān ||

Translation

Nārada dijo: «Oh Mādhava de poderosos brazos, oye también de mí los nombres de quienes no fueron muertos allí. En el ejército de Duryodhana sólo quedan tres héroes: Kṛpa, Kṛtavarmā y el valeroso hijo de Droṇa, Aśvatthāmā; todos ellos, feroces destructores de las filas enemigas».

Word by Word

• धार्तराष्ट्रबले: in the army of the Dhartarashtras (Kauravas)
• धार्तराष्ट्रबले: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धार्तराष्ट्रबल
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• शेषाः: remaining
• शेषाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शेष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• त्रयः: three
• त्रयः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• समितिमर्दनाः: crushers of the battle/host
• समितिमर्दनाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: समितिमर्दन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• कृपः: Kripa
• कृपः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृप
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• कृतवर्मा: Kritavarman
• कृतवर्मा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृतवर्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• द्रोणपुत्रः: Drona's son (Ashvatthaman)
• द्रोणपुत्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रोणपुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वीर्यवान्: valorous, possessing prowess
• वीर्यवान्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वीर्यवत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Narada
• Madhava (Krishna)
• Duryodhana
• Dhartarastra/Kaurava army
• Kripa (Kripacharya)
• Kritavarma
• Drona
• Ashvatthama (Dronaputra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the stark moral and existential residue of war: even after vast slaughter, a few powerful survivors remain, and their continued agency can shape further consequences. It invites reflection on how violence rarely ends neatly and how dharma must be navigated amid lingering enmity and unresolved outcomes.

What is happening in the narrative?

Narada informs Krishna (Madhava) that, from Duryodhana’s side, only three notable warriors are left alive—Kripa, Kritavarma, and Ashvatthama—identifying them as formidable battle-crushers who survived the carnage.