Shloka 23
कृष्णो हि मूलं पापडूनां पार्थ: स्कन्ध इवोद्गत:ः । शाखा इवेतरे पार्था: पञ्चाला: पत्रसंज्ञिता:,“श्रीकृष्ण ही पाण्डवोंकी जड़ हैं, अर्जुन ऊपरके तनेके समान हैं, अन्य कदुन्तीपुत्र शाखाएँ हैं तथा पांचाल सैनिक पत्तोंके समान हैं
sañjaya uvāca | kṛṣṇo hi mūlaṃ pāṇḍūnāṃ pārthaḥ skandha ivodgataḥ | śākhā ivetare pārthāḥ pañcālāḥ patra-saṃjñitāḥ |
Sañjaya said: “Kṛṣṇa is indeed the root of the Pāṇḍavas; Arjuna stands forth like the rising trunk. The other sons of Pṛthā are like branches, and the Pañcālas may be regarded as the leaves.” In this image, the strength and survival of the Pāṇḍava cause are shown as depending on its unseen foundation—Kṛṣṇa’s guidance—while Arjuna is the main visible support in battle, and the allied forces form the supporting spread of the whole.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that visible power in action (Arjuna as the trunk) depends on a deeper, sustaining foundation (Kṛṣṇa as the root). Ethical success in war and governance is portrayed as arising from right counsel, inner alignment, and steadfast support, not merely from outward strength.
Sañjaya describes the Pāṇḍava side through a tree-metaphor to convey their structure and resilience: Kṛṣṇa as the essential support, Arjuna as the principal battlefield pillar, the other Pāṇḍavas as extensions of strength, and the Pañcāla allies as the massed supporting host.