Shloka 48

Devanagari script

अपश्येतां महात्मानौ विष्वक्सेनधनंजयौ । अपूजयेतां वार्ष्णेयं ब्रवाणी साधु साध्विति

Transliteration

apaśyetāṁ mahātmānau viṣvaksenadhanañjayau | apūjayetāṁ vārṣṇeyaṁ bravāṇī sādhu sādhv iti

Translation

Sañjaya said: Those two great-souled heroes—Viṣvaksena and Dhanañjaya—beheld him, and they honored Vārṣṇeya (Kṛṣṇa), repeatedly saying, “Well done, well done!” In the midst of war, the verse highlights reverence for righteous counsel and the ethical impulse to acknowledge what is truly commendable.

Word by Word

अपश्येताम्they two saw

महात्मानौthe two great-souled (ones)

विष्वक्सेनधनंजयौViṣvaksena and Dhanañjaya

अपूजयेताम्they two honored / worshipped

वार्ष्णेयम्the Vārṣṇeya (Kṛṣṇa)

ब्रवाणीmay I say / let me say

साधुwell! / good!

इतिthus (quotative)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Viṣvaksena

Dhanañjaya (Arjuna)

Vārṣṇeya (Kṛṣṇa)

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?

Even amid conflict, dharmic conduct includes recognizing and honoring what is worthy—especially righteous leadership and sound counsel. The repeated “sādhu sādhu” models ethical appreciation rather than mere partisanship.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that two eminent warriors, named here as Viṣvaksena and Dhanañjaya, see Vārṣṇeya (Kṛṣṇa) and pay him honor, voicing strong approval—“Well done, well done!”