Shloka 45

द्रोणकर्णयोः निशि संप्रहारः — Night Engagement with Droṇa and Karṇa

Devanagari script

सैन्धवं पृष्ठतः कृत्वा जिघांसन्तो<च्युतार्जुनौ

Transliteration

saindhavaṁ pṛṣṭhataḥ kṛtvā jighāṁsanto 'cyutārjunau

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Tenant Saindhava derrière eux, Acyuta (Kṛṣṇa) et Arjuna s’élancèrent en avant avec l’intention de tuer—poussés par l’urgence du champ de bataille et par la résolution morale de châtier celui qu’on tenait pour responsable d’un tort immense.

Word by Word

• सैन्धवम्: the Sindhu-king (Jayadratha)
• सैन्धवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सैन्धव
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• पृष्ठतः: from behind / at the back
• पृष्ठतः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृष्ठतस्

• कृत्वा: having placed/made
• कृत्वा: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund)

• जिघांसन्तः: wishing to kill / intending to slay
• जिघांसन्तः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अच्युतार्जुनौ: Achyuta and Arjuna (Krishna and Arjuna)
• अच्युतार्जुनौ: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अच्युत + अर्जुन
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Dual

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Saindhava (Jayadratha)
• Acyuta (Kṛṣṇa)
• Arjuna

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights battlefield dharma as a blend of strategy and moral resolve: decisive action is taken against a perceived grave offender, while tactical positioning (placing an enemy to the rear) supports the pursuit of a higher wartime objective.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna moving with lethal intent, positioning Jayadratha (Saindhava) behind them—indicating a tactical maneuver as they advance in the conflict centered on Jayadratha’s role in earlier violence against the Pāṇḍavas.