Shloka 23

Devanagari script

बलमासीत्‌ _तदा सर्वमृते द्रोणार्जुनावु भौ । तावेवास्तां निलयनं तावार्तायनमेव च

Transliteration

balam āsīt tadā sarvam ṛte droṇārjunāv ubhau | tāv evāstāṁ nilayanaṁ tāv ārtāyanam eva ca ||

Translation

Sañjaya dit : En ce temps-là, toute la force de l’armée semblait n’habiter que ces deux-là—Droṇa et Arjuna. Ils étaient, pour ainsi dire, le refuge et l’abri de l’ost, et aussi son unique recours dans la détresse.

Word by Word

बलम्the strength/army

आसीत्was

तदाthen

सर्वम्all (of it)

ऋतेexcept/without

द्रोणDrona

अर्जुनौthe two Arjunas (Arjuna and Krishna as Arjuna-like hero) / Arjuna (dual form used with another)

उभौboth

तौthose two

एवindeed/only

आस्ताम्were/remained

निलयनम्refuge/abode

तौthose two

आर्तायनम्resort of the distressed / shelter for the afflicted

एवindeed/only

चand

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Droṇa

Arjuna

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?

In extreme conflict, the effective power of a vast collective may hinge on a few decisive individuals; this highlights both the responsibility borne by leaders and the fragility of relying on singular champions rather than shared discipline and dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a moment in the Drona Parva when the battlefield’s momentum is such that the army’s confidence and capability appear concentrated in Droṇa and Arjuna alone, who function as the host’s shelter and last resort in distress.