Shloka 38
धृष्टद्युम्नस्य द्रोणाभिमुख्यं तथा सात्यकि-कर्ण-समागमः
Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s advance toward Droṇa and the Sātyaki–Karṇa confrontation
उनके द्वारा निन्दित होनेपर भी श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुनने कोई अप्रिय बात नहीं कही तथा प्रशंसित होनेपर भी यूपकेतु भूरिश्रवाने हर्ष नहीं प्रकट किया ।। तांस्तथावादिनो राजन पुत्रांस्तव धनंजय: । अमृष्यमाणो मनसा तेषां तस्य च भाषितम्,राजन्! आपके पुत्र जब भूरिश्रवाकी ही भाँति निन्दाकी बातें कहने लगे, तब अर्जुन उनके तथा भूरिश्रवाके उस कथनको मन-ही-मन सहन न कर सके
sañjaya uvāca |
na nindyamānāv api kṛṣṇa-pārthau kiñcid apriyaṃ pratyūcatuḥ kadācit |
na stūyamāno ’pi ca yūpaketuḥ bhūriśravā harṣam avāpa rājān ||
tāṃs tathāvādino rājan putrāṃs tava dhanañjayaḥ |
amṛṣyamāṇo manasā teṣāṃ tasya ca bhāṣitam ||
Sañjaya said: Even when they were reviled, Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna did not reply with any harsh or improper word; and even when praised, Yūpaketu Bhūriśravas did not display exultation, O king. But when your sons began speaking in that same censorious manner, Dhanañjaya (Arjuna), unable to endure in his heart the words spoken by them and by Bhūriśravas, inwardly bristled with resentment.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical restraint: the noble do not answer abuse with harsh speech, nor do they become intoxicated by praise. Yet it also shows how disparaging words can inflame conflict—Arjuna’s inner intolerance of taunts becomes a moral-psychological turning point in the battlefield narrative.
Sañjaya reports to the king that Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna remain composed despite being criticized, and Bhūriśravas remains composed despite being praised. However, when Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons join in speaking censoriously like Bhūriśravas, Arjuna cannot bear their words inwardly, signaling rising tension and the likelihood of a forceful response.