Shloka 22

Devanagari script

पाञज्चालक सुदुर्वत्त ममैव गुरुमग्रत:

Transliteration

pāñcālaka sudurvṛtta mamaiva gurum agrataḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: “That wicked Pāñcālaka has brought my own revered teacher right before me.” The line conveys a moral shock: in the chaos of war, reverence for one’s guru is violated, and the act is condemned as a grave ethical transgression.

Word by Word

• पाञ्चालक: O Panchala (descendant/man of Panchala)
• पाञ्चालक: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाञ्चालक
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• सुदुर्वृत्त: O very ill-conducted one / of very bad conduct
• सुदुर्वृत्त: Sambodhana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-दुर्वृत्त
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• मम: of me / my
• मम: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Genitive, Singular

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

• गुरुम्: teacher / preceptor
• गुरुम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अग्रतः: in front / before (someone)
• अग्रतः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अग्रतः

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pāñcālaka (a Pañcāla warrior)
• Guru (revered teacher/preceptor)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even amid warfare, violating the sanctity of the guru relationship is portrayed as deeply adharmic; reverence for one’s teacher remains a moral boundary that should not be crossed.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports an incident on the battlefield where a Pañcāla combatant is described as acting wickedly by placing or bringing the speaker’s revered teacher directly before him, highlighting outrage and the ethical tension of war.