Shloka 153

Devanagari script

अभ्यद्रवन्त संयत्ता भारद्वाजजिघांसव: । युधिष्ठिरकी यह आज्ञा पाकर सूंजय महारथी द्रोणाचार्यको मार डालनेकी अभिलाषासे पूर्ण सावधान हो उनपर टूट पड़े

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | abhyadravanta saṁyattā bhāradvāja-jighāṁsavaḥ | yudhiṣṭhirasya ājñāṁ prāpya dhṛṣṭadyumno mahārathaḥ droṇācāryaṁ hantum icchan sarvathā sāvadhāno 'bhavat teṣu ca nipapāta |

Translation

Sañjaya said: Arrayed for battle and intent on the death of Bhāradvāja’s son (Droṇa), they surged forward. Having received Yudhiṣṭhira’s command, the great chariot-warrior Dhṛṣṭadyumna—filled with the resolve to slay Droṇācārya—became fully vigilant and fell upon him. The moment underscores how royal orders and personal vows converge in war, raising the ethical tension between duty to command and the gravity of targeting a revered teacher.

Word by Word

• अभ्यद्रवन्त: they ran towards / charged
• अभ्यद्रवन्त: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि+द्रु (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), 3, Plural, परस्मैपदम्

• संयत्ताः: prepared, ready
• संयत्ताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संयत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• भारद्वाज: of Bharadvaja (i.e., Drona)
• भारद्वाज: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारद्वाज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• जिघांसवः: desiring to kill
• जिघांसवः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जिघांसु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Dhṛṣṭadyumna
• Droṇācārya (Bhāradvāja’s son)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the moral strain of warfare: obedience to a rightful king’s command and the demands of battlefield duty can drive one to target even a revered teacher. It invites reflection on how intention (resolve, vengeance) and authority (royal order) shape action, and how vigilance and responsibility intensify when the opponent is ethically significant.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates that the warriors, determined to kill Droṇa, charge forward. Dhṛṣṭadyumna, after receiving Yudhiṣṭhira’s order, becomes fully alert and launches an attack on Droṇācārya, pressing the battle toward Droṇa’s downfall.