Shloka 10

द्रोणपर्व — अध्याय ९०: हार्दिक्यस्य पराक्रमः

Kṛtavarmā’s Stand against the Pāṇḍavas

Devanagari script

अध्यर्धमात्रे धनुषां सहस्रे तनयस्तव । अग्रतः सर्वसैन्यानां स्थित्वा दुर्मर्षणो5ब्रवीत्‌,तदनन्तर एक हजार रथी, सौ हाथीसवार, तीन हजार घुड़सवार और दस हजार पैदल सैनिकोंके साथ आकर अर्जुनसे डेढ़ हजार धनुषकी दूरीपर स्थित हो समस्त कौरव सैनिकोंके आगे होकर आपके पुत्र दुर्मर्षणने इस प्रकार कहा--

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

adhyardhamātre dhanuṣāṁ sahasre tanayas tava |

agratḥ sarvasainyānāṁ sthitvā durmarṣaṇo 'bravīt ||

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Alors ton fils Durmarṣaṇa, redoutable et difficile à soutenir au combat, se tint à la tête de toutes les forces des Kaurava, à une distance d’environ mille cinq cents longueurs d’arc d’Arjuna, et parla. La scène met en lumière le code guerrier d’alors : les chefs s’avancent les premiers, affirment leur résolution et défient l’ennemi, tandis que l’immense appareil de la guerre se rassemble derrière eux.

Word by Word

अध्यर्धमात्रेat the distance of one and a half measures

धनुषाम्of bows

सहस्रेin/at a thousand (i.e., at a thousand-bow distance)

तनयःson

तवyour

अग्रतःin front

सर्वसैन्यानाम्of all the armies

स्थित्वाhaving stood

दुर्मर्षणःDurmarshana (name)

अब्रवीत्said/spoke

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by 'tava')

Durmarṣaṇa

Kaurava army

Arjuna (contextual target of the approach in the given passage)

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 the kṣatriya ideal of taking the forefront in conflict: a leader publicly assumes position and speaks first, embodying responsibility and resolve before the assembled troops. It also reflects the epic’s ethical tension—valor and duty are displayed even within a destructive war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Durmarṣaṇa moves ahead of the Kaurava forces, takes a forward position at a stated distance measured in bow-lengths, and begins to address the situation—setting up a direct confrontation with the opposing side (notably Arjuna in the surrounding context).