Shloka 23

Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 125: Duryodhana’s despair and vow after Jayadratha’s fall (जयद्रथवधे दुर्योधनविलापः)

Devanagari script

सात्यकिं तु महाराज प्रहसन्निव भारत

Transliteration

sātyakiṁ tu mahārāja prahasann iva bhārata

Translation

Sañjaya said: “But Sātyaki, O great king, appeared as though smiling—O descendant of Bharata.”

Word by Word

• सात्यकिम्: Sātyaki (as object)
• सात्यकिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सात्यकि
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• महाराज: O great king
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाराज
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• प्रहसन्: laughing/smiling
• प्रहसन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-हस्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, Present active participle (शतृ)

• इव: as if/like
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• भारत: O Bhārata (descendant of Bharata)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• सात्यकि (Sātyaki/Yuyudhāna)
• महाराज (Dhṛtarāṣṭra, implied addressee)
• भारत (Bhārata lineage, epithet for the king)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a warrior’s inner steadiness: even amid violence and peril, Sātyaki’s calm, almost smiling demeanor suggests fearlessness, confidence, and disciplined resolve—qualities valued in the kṣatriya ideal when duty must be carried out.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Sātyaki is seen “as if smiling,” marking his mood and bearing at this moment in the Drona Parva battle narrative, often to contrast him with others’ agitation or to foreshadow bold action.