Shloka 3

Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 45: Saubhadra–Lakṣmaṇa-saṃyoga and Kaurava Counter-Encirclement

Devanagari script

प्रविश्यैव तु राजेन्द्र क्षत्रियेन्द्रान्‍लकोपम: । सत्यश्रवसमादत्त व्याप्रो मृगमिवोल्बण:,राजेन्द्र! क्षत्रियशिरोमणियोंके लिये यमराजके समान अभिमन्युने उस सेनामें प्रवेश करते ही जैसे उन्मत्त व्याप्र हरिणको दबोच लेता है, उसी प्रकार सत्यश्रवाको ले बैठा

Transliteration

praviśyaiva tu rājendra kṣatriyendrān lokopamaḥ | satyaśravasam ādatta vyāghro mṛgam ivolbaṇaḥ ||

Translation

संजय बोले—राजेन्द्र! क्षत्रियश्रेष्ठों के लिए यम के समान अभिमन्यु ने सेना में प्रवेश करते ही सत्यश्रवा को वैसे ही पकड़ लिया, जैसे उग्र व्याघ्र हरिण को दबोच लेता है।

Word by Word

प्रविश्यhaving entered

एवindeed/just

तुbut/and

राजेन्द्रO king of kings

क्षत्रियेन्द्रान्the lords/chiefs among kshatriyas

लोक-उपमःworld-like; comparable to (all) the world (i.e., universally formidable)

सत्यश्रवसम्Satyashravas (proper name)

आदत्तseized/took hold of

व्याघ्रःa tiger

मृगम्a deer/animal (prey)

इवlike/as

उल्बणःfierce/violent

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Abhimanyu

Satyāśravas

Yama (implied by lokopamaḥ / death-like)

army/host (senā, implied)

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 harsh ethical terrain of kṣatriya-dharma in war: a warrior’s duty and prowess can manifest as swift, lethal action, and the imagery of Death and predator-prey stresses the inevitability and moral gravity of battlefield consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Abhimanyu, upon entering the enemy formation, immediately overpowers and captures/strikes down the warrior Satyāśravas, compared to a fierce tiger pouncing on a deer.