Shloka 18

Devanagari script

दृष्टवा द्रोणाय पाज्चाल्यं व्रजन्तं युद्धदुर्मदम्‌ । यमाभ्यां तांश्व संसक्तांस्तदन्तरमुपाद्रवत्‌

Transliteration

dṛṣṭvā droṇāya pāñcālyaṃ vrajantaṃ yuddha-durmadam | yamābhyāṃ tāṃś ca saṃsaktāṃs tad-antaram upādravat ||

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: Melihat kesatria Pāñcāla melesat menuju Droṇa, mabuk oleh kegilaan perang, dan menyadari para pejuang di antara dua pihak yang laksana Yama saling terkunci rapat, ia segera menerjang ke celah di antaranya.

Word by Word

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund), परस्मैपद-भावार्थ

• द्रोणाय: to Drona
• द्रोणाय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रोण
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• पाञ्चाल्यम्: the Panchala prince (Dhrishtadyumna)
• पाञ्चाल्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाञ्चाल्य
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• व्रजन्तम्: going, proceeding
• व्रजन्तम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्रज्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• युद्ध-दुर्मदम्: maddened by battle / battle-intoxicated
• युद्ध-दुर्मदम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युद्ध + दुर्मद
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• यमाभ्याम्: with two restraints (yamas) / with two checks
• यमाभ्याम्: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Dual

• तान्: those (men)
• तान्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• संसक्तान्: engaged, closely attached/locked (in fight)
• संसक्तान्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: संसञ्ज्
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• तत्-अन्तरम्: that interval / the gap between them
• तत्-अन्तरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् + अन्तर
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• उपाद्रवत्: ran up, rushed towards
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप + द्रु
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Droṇa
• Pāñcālya (Pāñcāla warrior)
• Yamau (the twin Yamas)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how war inflames the mind (yuddha-durmadam), and how, in such a morally fraught arena, warriors act with swift opportunism—charging into even a momentary opening. It implicitly cautions that battle-frenzy can eclipse restraint, making ethical clarity harder to maintain.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a Pāñcāla warrior rushing toward Droṇa in battle-fury. At the same time, fighters are tightly engaged between the twin warriors called the Yamau; seeing the gap created in that engagement, someone (the subject implied by upādravat) charges into that interval.