Shloka 75

Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 96: Sātyaki’s Line-Penetration, Encirclement, and Advance toward Arjuna

Devanagari script

वृतः प्रायान्महाबाहुरर्जुनस्य रथं प्रति । नानावादित्रघोषेण यथा वैरोचनिस्तथा

Transliteration

vṛtaḥ prāyān mahābāhur arjunasya rathaṃ prati | nānāvāditraghoṣeṇa yathā vairocanis tathā ||

Translation

Entouré des siens, le guerrier aux bras puissants s’avança vers le char d’Arjuna, au milieu du tumulte de toutes sortes d’instruments—tel le grondement d’un nuage d’orage.

Word by Word

वृतःsurrounded, encompassed

प्रायात्went forth, advanced

महाबाहुःthe mighty-armed (hero)

अर्जुनस्यof Arjuna

रथम्chariot

प्रतिtowards

नानाvarious, diverse

वादित्रघोषेणwith the sound of musical instruments

यथाas, just as

वैindeed

रोचनिRocanī (name of a drum/war-instrument; also a proper name in some traditions)

इतिthus

तथाso, likewise

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Arjuna

ratha (chariot)

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?

External grandeur—noise, pageantry, and martial display—can sway fear and confidence, but ethical rightness (dharma) is not established by spectacle; it is tested by intention, conduct, and adherence to duty amid violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a mighty warrior moving, surrounded by supporters, toward Arjuna’s chariot, while many instruments resound; the scene is compared to the roaring tumult of a storm-cloud, emphasizing the charged atmosphere before or during a clash.