Shloka 25

Adhyāya 16: Saṃśaptaka-vrata and the Diversion of Arjuna (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय १६)

Devanagari script

त॑ शूरमार्यव्रतिनं मन्त्रास्त्रेषु कृतश्रमम्‌ चक्ररक्षं परामृद्नात्‌ कुमारं द्विजपुड़व:,परंतु द्विजश्रेष्ठ द्रोणाचार्यने शूर, आर्यव्रती एवं मन्त्रास्त्रविद्यामें परिश्रम किये हुए चक्र- रक्षक कुमारको परास्त कर दिया

Transliteration

taṁ śūram āryavratinaṁ mantrāstreṣu kṛtaśramaṁ cakrarakṣaṁ parāmṛdnāt kumāraṁ dvijapuṅgavaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Alors Droṇācārya, taureau parmi les brahmanes, écrasa ce jeune guerrier, vaillant, fidèle à de nobles vœux et rompu par un dur labeur aux armes animées de mantras, bien qu’il fût le protecteur de la roue du char. L’épisode rappelle que, dans la logique brutale de la guerre, la vertu et la discipline peuvent encore être broyées par une maîtrise supérieure et par les circonstances.

Word by Word

सःhe (that one)

शूरम्brave

आर्यव्रतिनम्one observing noble vows

मन्त्रास्त्रेषुin mantra-weapons (enchanted missiles)

कृतश्रमम्one who has exerted himself / well-trained

चक्ररक्षम्wheel-guard (protector of the formation)

परामृद्नात्overpowered / crushed / defeated

कुमारम्the young prince / youth

द्विजपुङ्गवःthe best of the twice-born (Brahmin-foremost)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Droṇācārya (implied by dvijapuṅgavaḥ; explicitly in the Hindi gloss)

cakra (chariot wheel)

kumāra (the young chariot-wheel-guard; unnamed in this verse)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the tension between personal virtue (ārya-vrata), disciplined effort (kṛta-śrama), and the harsh outcomes of war: ethical character and training do not guarantee victory when confronted by a superior master and the momentum of battle.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Droṇa, described as the foremost among the twice-born, subdues a brave young warrior assigned as the protector of the chariot-wheel, despite the youth’s disciplined vows and expertise in mantra-based weaponry.