Shloka 183

Devanagari script

नाहत्वाहं निवर्तिष्ये त्वामद्य पुरुषाधम । “कौरव! इस लोकमें मेरी भी तुम्हारे साथ युद्ध करनेकी बहुत दिनोंसे अभिलाषा थी। वह आज पूरी हो जाय। तात! तुमसे युद्धकी अभिलाषा रखनेवाली मेरी बुद्धि मुझे जल्दी करनेके लिये प्रेरणा दे रही है। पुरुषाधम! आज तुम्हारा वध किये बिना मैं पीछे नहीं हटूँगा'

Transliteration

nāhatvāhaṃ nivartiṣye tvām adya puruṣādhama

Translation

Sañjaya said: “O vilest of men, I will not turn back today without slaying you.” The line conveys a warrior’s irrevocable resolve in the midst of battle, framing the encounter as a moral confrontation where the opponent is judged as having fallen from righteous conduct, and thus becomes the object of uncompromising retribution.

Word by Word

नnot

हत्वाhaving slain

अहम्I

निवर्तिष्येI shall turn back/withdraw

त्वाम्you

अद्यtoday/now

पुरुषाधमO worst of men

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

unnamed opponent addressed as puruṣādhama

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 unwavering determination in a dharmic battlefield context: once a warrior has taken up a justly motivated combat resolve, retreat is rejected until the objective is fulfilled. It also shows how ethical judgment (calling the foe 'puruṣādhama') can frame violence as punitive rather than merely competitive.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Drona Parva’s intense fighting, a combatant (reported by Sañjaya) declares that he will not withdraw from the day’s battle until he has killed the opponent, emphasizing the immediacy ('today') and the finality of the vow.