Shloka 56
Devanagari script
स भवानीदृशं मित्र मन््यते च यथा भवान्
Transliteration
sa bhavān īdṛśaṃ mitra manyate ca yathā bhavān
Translation
Sanjaya said: “He regards you, my friend, as being just such a person—exactly as you are.”
Word by Word
सःhe
सः:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
भवानीदृशम्such as you (of your kind)
भवानीदृशम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootभवान्-ईदृश
FormNeuter, Accusative, Singular
मित्रO friend
मित्र:
TypeNoun
Rootमित्र
FormNeuter, Vocative, Singular
मन्यतेthinks/considers
मन्यते:
TypeVerb
Rootमन् (मन्यते)
FormPresent, Third, Singular, Atmanepada
चand
च:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच
यथाas/just as
यथा:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootयथा
भवान्you
भवान्:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootभवत्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
S
SanjayaCharacter Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Cross References
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how a person’s judgment of another often rests on perceived character and established reputation: one is ‘held to be’ exactly what one has shown oneself to be. Ethically, it underscores the weight of conduct in shaping trust and expectation.
Sanjaya, narrating events to Dhritarashtra, reports someone’s assessment of the addressed person: that individual considers the listener to be of a certain kind—precisely as the listener truly is—reinforcing a point about confidence, expectation, or reliance in the ongoing war narrative.