Shloka 133

उपायैः पूर्ववधकथनम् / Strategic Justifications for Prior Eliminations

Devanagari script

द्रोणमेवा भ्यवर्तन्त पुरस्कृत्य शिखण्डिनम्‌ । प्रहार करनेमें कुशल छ: हजार प्रभद्रक और पांचाल योद्धा भी शिखण्डीको आगे करके द्रोणाचार्यपर ही चढ़ आये

Transliteration

droṇam evābhyavartanta puraskṛtya śikhaṇḍinam | prahāra-karaṇe kuśalāḥ ṣaṭ-sahasrāḥ prabhadrakāḥ pāñcālā yoddhā api śikhaṇḍinaṃ agre kṛtvā droṇācāryam eva cāḍhāyayan |

Translation

Sañjaya said: Keeping Śikhaṇḍin in the forefront, they advanced straight against Droṇa. Skilled in delivering blows, six thousand Prabhadrakas and the Pāñcāla warriors too, placing Śikhaṇḍin ahead, charged directly at Droṇācārya. The episode underscores the grim ethics of war: a tactical formation is chosen not for fairness, but to neutralize an invincible teacher by exploiting his moral restraint.

Word by Word

• द्रोणम्: Drona (as the object/target)
• द्रोणम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रोण
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• एव: indeed/only
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• अभ्यवर्तन्त: they advanced/turned towards (attacked)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-√वृत्
• Form: Imperfect, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• पुरस्कृत्य: having placed in front / having put forward
• Type: Verb
• Root: पुरस्-√कृ
• Form: Absolutive (Gerund), Active

• शिखण्डिनम्: Shikhandin
• शिखण्डिनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिखण्डिन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Droṇācārya (Droṇa)
• Śikhaṇḍin
• Prabhadrakas
• Pāñcāla warriors