Shloka 443

Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)

Devanagari script

तस्थौ सात्यकिमासाद्य सम्प्लुतस्तं रथं प्रति । तदनन्तर सारथिने अपने रथके विशाल सिंधी घोड़ोंकों उठाकर खड़ा किया और कूदकर रथपर जा चढ़ा। फिर रथसहित सात्यकिके पास जाकर खड़ा हो गया

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | tasthau sātyakim āsādya samplutas taṃ rathaṃ prati |

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Ayant rejoint Sātyaki, il se tint face à ce char, ferme et prêt. Aussitôt après, s’aidant des grands chevaux sindhī de son propre char, il se hissa et bondit sur le char ; puis, avec le char, il s’approcha de Sātyaki et s’y arrêta.

Word by Word

तस्थौstood

सात्यकिम्Sātyaki

आसाद्यhaving approached/reached

सम्प्लुतःhaving leapt/jumped (mounted)

तम्that

रथम्chariot

प्रतिtowards/against

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Sātyaki

chariot (ratha)

Sindhī horses (sindhī aśvāḥ, implied by the accompanying prose)

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 the midst of war, a warrior must act with alertness and resolve, fulfilling kṣatriya-duty without hesitation; steadiness (standing firm) and swift competence (mounting and maneuvering the chariot) are presented as practical expressions of dharma in crisis.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates a rapid battlefield maneuver: someone reaches Sātyaki, stands facing a chariot, then quickly mounts it—using the powerful Sindhī horses—and brings the chariot to a halt near Sātyaki, indicating urgent coordination and repositioning in combat.