Shloka 56

Devanagari script

दुर्योधनमिदं वाक्यमब्रवीद्‌ युद्धुलालस: । रात्रिमें होनेवाले इस संग्रामका समाचार पाकर रणभूमिमें भीमसेनको मार डालनेकी इच्छासे वह मतवाले हाथी और क्रोधमें भरे हुए सर्पकी भाँति युद्धकी लालसा मनमें रखकर दुर्योधनसे इस प्रकार बोला--

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | duryodhanam idaṃ vākyam abravīd yuddhulālasaḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Brûlant d’ardeur guerrière, il adressa ces paroles à Duryodhana. Ayant appris qu’un combat de nuit allait se produire, et poussé par le désir de tuer Bhīmasena jusque sur le champ de bataille, il parla à Duryodhana l’esprit embrasé de colère—tel un éléphant en rut de fureur ou un serpent irrité—révélant l’obscurcissement moral croissant de la guerre, où la vengeance l’emporte sur la retenue.

Word by Word

दुर्योधनम्Duryodhana (as object: to Duryodhana)

इदम्this

वाक्यम्speech; words; statement

अब्रवीत्said; spoke

युद्ध-उलालसःeager for battle

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sanjaya

Duryodhana

Bhimasena

night battle (rātri-saṅgrāma)

battlefield (raṇabhūmi)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how unchecked anger and vengeance can dominate judgment in war, pushing leaders toward ever harsher choices; it implicitly warns that ethical restraint (dharma) erodes when the mind becomes 'battle-hungry' and driven by personal hatred.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya narrates that a warrior, eager for combat and intent on killing Bhimasena, speaks to Duryodhana upon hearing of an impending night battle, signaling a turn toward more desperate and morally fraught tactics.