Shloka 19

Droṇa’s Defensive Stand and Abhimanyu Commissioned to Breach the Cakravyūha (द्रोणानीक-प्रतिरोधः; सौभद्र-नियोजनम्)

Devanagari script

अन्योनयं स्पर्थमानाश्न अन्योन्यस्य हिते रता: । दुर्योधनस्तु राजेन्द्र सैन्यमध्ये व्यवस्थित:,वे एक-दूसरेसे होड़ लगाये रखते थे और आपसमें एक-दूसरेके हित-साधनमें तत्पर रहते थे। राजेन्द्र! राजा दुर्योधन सेनाके मध्यभागमें विराजमान था

Transliteration

anyonyam spardhamānāś ca anyonyasya hite ratāḥ | duryodhanas tu rājendra sainya-madhye vyavasthitaḥ ||

Translation

Ils rivalisaient entre eux, tout en se vouant au bien les uns des autres. Mais le roi Duryodhana, ô seigneur des rois, se tenait posté au cœur même de l’armée.

Word by Word

अन्योन्यम्mutually, one another

स्पर्धमानाःcompeting, vying

अन्योन्यस्यof one another

हितेin (each other’s) welfare/benefit

रताःengaged, devoted

दुर्योधनःDuryodhana

तुbut, however

राजेन्द्रO king of kings

सैन्यof the army

मध्येin the middle

व्यवस्थितःstationed, positioned

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sanjaya

Duryodhana

Dhritarashtra

Kaurava army

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 a martial ethic where rivalry is not mere ego-contest but is ideally harnessed toward the welfare and success of one’s own group; it also underscores the king’s role as a stabilizing center of command, positioned amid the troops.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya describes the Kaurava forces: the warriors are competing with each other in prowess while remaining committed to mutual support, and Duryodhana is placed prominently in the middle of the army, directing and anchoring the formation.