Shloka 13

Droṇa’s Renewed Advance toward Yudhiṣṭhira; Fall of Satyajit and Allied Recoil (द्रोणस्य युधिष्ठिरप्रेप्सा—सत्यजितः पतनम्)

Devanagari script

भूमिंजयो वृषक्राथो नैषधश्च महाबल: । वृता बलेन महता ब्रह्मलोकपुरस्कृता:

Transliteration

bhūmiṃjayo vṛṣakrātho naiṣadhaś ca mahābalaḥ | vṛtā balena mahatā brahmalokapuraskṛtāḥ ||

Translation

भूमिंजय, वृषक्राथ और महाबली नैषध—ये सब महान् सेना से घिरे थे, और अग्रभाग में ब्रह्मलोक-पुरस्कृत (ब्रह्मतेज से प्रतिष्ठित) पुरुष रखे गए थे।

Word by Word

भूमिंजयःBhūmiṃjaya (name; 'conqueror of the earth')

वृषक्राथःVṛṣakrātha (name)

नैषधःthe Naiṣadha (man from Niṣadha; Nala)

चand

महाबलःmighty/very strong

वृताःsurrounded/covered (having been surrounded)

बलेनby/with force; by an army

महताgreat, vast

ब्रह्मलोकपुरस्कृताःhaving Brahmaloka in front; headed toward/preceded by Brahmaloka (i.e., with Brahmaloka as their goal/front)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Bhūmiṃjaya

Vṛṣakrātha

Naiṣadha

Brahmaloka

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 that martial strength is paired with symbolic and ethical legitimacy: placing revered figures at the forefront signals auspiciousness, discipline, and the claim of dharmic authority even amid violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that certain warriors—Bhūmiṃjaya, Vṛṣakrātha, and Naiṣadha—are enclosed by a large force arranged with honored, Brahmin-associated leaders at the front, indicating an organized battle array and the prominence of respected commanders.