Shloka 26

Devanagari script

तूर्णमभ्यद्रवद्‌ द्रोणं मनोमारुतवेगवान्‌ | आपके पुत्रका वह रथ मन और वायुके समान वेगशाली था। वह बड़ी तेजीके साथ तत्काल द्रोणाचार्यके पास जा पहुँचा,चक्ररक्षौ तु पाउ्चाल्यौ युधामन्यूत्तमौजसौ । बाहोन सेनामभ्येत्य जग्मतु: सव्यसाचिनम्‌ अर्जुनके चक्ररक्षक पांचालराजकुमार युधामन्यु और उत्तमौजा सेनाके बाहरी भागसे होकर सव्यसाची अर्जुनके समीप जाने लगे

Transliteration

tūrṇam abhyadravad droṇaṃ manomārutavegavān | cakrarakṣau tu pāñcālyau yudhāmanyuttamaujāsau | bāhoḥ senām abhyetya jagmatuḥ savyasācinam ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Your son’s chariot, swift as thought and as the wind, rushed at once toward Droṇācārya. Meanwhile the two Pāñcāla princes, Yudhāmanyu and Uttamaujā—appointed as the wheel-guards—moved along the outer flank of the army and went to join Savyasācī Arjuna. The scene underscores the tactical discipline of war: speed and direct assault on one side, and protective duty and coordinated positioning on the other.

Word by Word

तूर्णम्swiftly, quickly

अभ्यद्रवत्ran towards, rushed at

द्रोणम्Drona

मनोमारुतवेगवान्having the speed of mind and wind

चक्ररक्षकौthe two wheel-guards

तुbut, indeed

पाञ्चाल्यौthe two Panchala princes

युधामन्यूYudhamanyu

उत्तमौजसौUttamaujas (the two / or as a dual form used for the pair with Yudhamanyu)

बाहोःfrom the outer arm/side (i.e., from the flank)

सेनाम्the army

अभ्येत्यhaving approached, going up to

जग्मतुःthe two went

सव्यसाचिनम्the ambidextrous one (Arjuna)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Droṇa (Droṇācārya)

Duryodhana (implied by 'your son')

Yudhāmanyu

Uttamaujā

Arjuna (Savyasācī)

Pāñcāla

chariot

army (senā)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in practice: decisive action must be matched by disciplined protection and coordination. Speed and aggression are not sufficient alone; safeguarding key warriors (like Arjuna) through assigned roles (cakrarakṣā) is an ethical and strategic duty within the wartime code.

What is happening in the narrative?

Duryodhana’s chariot rapidly charges toward Droṇācārya, while Arjuna’s designated wheel-guards—Yudhāmanyu and Uttamaujā—move along the army’s outer flank to reach and protect Arjuna, indicating a coordinated repositioning amid battle.