Shloka 38

द्रोणपर्व (अध्याय १) — भीष्मनिधनानन्तरं धृतराष्ट्रस्य शोकः, सेनायाः स्थितिः, कर्णस्मरणं च

Droṇa Parva, Chapter 1: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s grief after Bhīṣma’s fall and the army’s reorientation toward Karṇa

Devanagari script

स तु तेनैव कोपेन राजन्‌ गाड़्रेयमुक्तवान्‌ | त्वयि जीवति कौरव्य नाहं योत्स्ये कदाचन,राजन! अर्धरथी बतानेके कारण ही क्रोधवश उसने गंगानन्दन भीष्मसे कहा --'कुरुनन्दन! आपके जीते-जी मैं कदापि युद्ध नहीं करूँगा। कौरव! यदि आप उस महासमरमें पाण्डुपुत्रोंको मार डालेंगे तो मैं दुर्योधनकी अनुमति लेकर वनको चला जाऊँगा

Transliteration

sa tu tenaiva kopena rājan gāṅgeyam uktavān | tvayi jīvati kauravya nāhaṃ yotsye kadācana ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “O King, inflamed by that very anger, he addressed Bhīṣma, the son of the Gaṅgā: ‘O scion of the Kurus, while you are still alive, I will never fight—at any time.’”

Word by Word

• {'saḥ': 'he', 'tu': 'but

• indeed', 'tena eva': 'by that very (cause/state)', 'kopena': 'with anger

• through wrath', 'rājan': 'O king (vocative)', 'gāṅgeyam': 'the son of Gaṅgā

• Bhīṣma', 'uktavān': 'said

• spoke', 'tvayi': 'when you

• in you (locative), i.e., while you are present/alive', 'jīvati': 'living

• alive', 'kauravya': 'O descendant of Kuru (address)', 'na': 'not', 'aham': 'I', 'yotsye': 'will fight (future of √yudh)', 'kadācana': 'ever

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Bhīṣma (Gāṅgeya)
• Kaurava/Kuru lineage (addressed as Kauravya)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how anger can harden into an absolute vow, shaping conduct in war and hierarchy. It also reflects the ethical tension between personal resolve and the demands of collective duty in a battlefield setting.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, in anger, a warrior declares to Bhīṣma (Gāṅgeya) that he will not fight as long as Bhīṣma remains alive—signaling a rupture in cooperation and a challenge to the war effort under Bhīṣma’s presence.