Shloka 416

द्रोणकर्णयोः निशि संप्रहारः — Night Engagement with Droṇa and Karṇa

Devanagari script

नामृष्यन्त महेष्वासा: पाण्डवं पुरुषर्षभा: । अर्जुनको इस प्रकार बल-पराक्रमकी सम्पत्तिसे युक्त होकर युद्धके लिये डटा हुआ देख आपकी सेनाके श्रेष्ठ पुरुष एवं महाधनुर्धर वीर सहन न कर सके

Transliteration

nāmṛṣyanta maheṣvāsāḥ pāṇḍavaṃ puruṣarṣabhāḥ | arjunaḥ asmin prakāreṇa bala-parākrama-sampattiyuktaḥ yuddhāya daṭaḥ iti dṛṣṭvā tava senāyāḥ śreṣṭha-puruṣāḥ mahādhanurdharā vīrāḥ soḍhuṃ na śekuḥ |

Translation

Sanjaya said: The great bowmen—bulls among men—could not endure it when they saw Arjuna, the Pandava, standing firm for battle, endowed in this manner with the wealth of strength and heroic prowess. The foremost men of your army, mighty archers and warriors, were unable to bear the sight of his resolute readiness.

Word by Word

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• अमृष्यन्त: did not endure / could not tolerate
• Type: Verb
• Root: मृष्
• Form: लङ् (imperfect), परस्मैपदम्, 3rd, plural

• महेष्वासाः: great bowmen
• महेष्वासाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेष्वास
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• पाण्डवम्: the Pandava (Arjuna)
• पाण्डवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• पुरुषर्षभाः: bulls among men / best of men
• पुरुषर्षभाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुषर्षभ
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Arjuna
• Pandava(s)
• Kaurava army (tava senā)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the moral-psychological force of steadfastness in righteous duty: a warrior who stands firm, endowed with strength and valor, can unsettle even elite opponents. It underscores how resolve (dhairya) and prowess (parākrama) function as ethical and strategic power in a dharma-framed war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that Arjuna is visibly prepared and unwavering in battle. Seeing this, the foremost Kaurava warriors—great archers—are unable to tolerate or bear the situation, indicating intimidation, agitation, or inability to remain composed before Arjuna’s martial presence.