Shloka 223

Devanagari script

यदि त्वं न भवेस्त्राता प्रतीयात्‌ को नु मानव: । “यदि तुम रक्षक न होते तो व्यूहाकारमें खड़ी हुई धृतराष्ट्रपुत्रोंकी प्रचण्ड एवं विशाल सेनाको सामने देखकर कौन मनुष्य उसपर चढ़ाई कर सकता था?

Transliteration

yadi tvaṁ na bhaves trātā pratīyāt ko nu mānavaḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya dit : «Si tu n’avais pas été leur protecteur, quel homme aurait pu s’avancer contre eux ? Car qui, voyant l’armée farouche et immense des fils de Dhṛtarāṣṭra rangée en formation de combat, oserait la charger ?»

Word by Word

यदिif

त्वम्you

नnot

भवेत्would be

त्राताprotector, savior

प्रतीयात्would advance against, would approach

कःwho?

नुindeed, then (emphatic particle)

मानवःman, human

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sanjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra-putrāḥ (sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra; the Kauravas)

Kaurava army (senā)

battle formation (vyūha)

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 ethical and practical power of protective leadership: when a trusted defender stands as a refuge, ordinary people find the courage to act even against overwhelming odds; without such support, fear and hesitation prevail.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya emphasizes to his listener that the Kaurava forces were formidable and arranged in a battle formation; he argues that an assault on such a host would be unthinkable unless someone served as a strong protector and rallying presence.