Shloka 97

Devanagari script

संजय उवाच तस्य तदू वचन श्रुत्वा द्रोणपुत्रो महारथ: । नमश्लकार रुद्राय बहु मेने च केशवम्‌

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca tasya tad ū vacanaṃ śrutvā droṇaputro mahārathaḥ | namaścakāra rudrāya bahu mene ca keśavam ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Hearing those words, Droṇa’s son—the great chariot-warrior—bowed in reverence to Rudra, and he held Keśava in very high esteem. The moment marks a shift from mere martial confidence to acknowledgment of divine powers that stand behind victory and restraint in war.

Word by Word

• संजयः: Sanjaya
• संजयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: संजय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• तस्य: of him / his
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• उ: indeed / emphatic particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उ

• वचनम्: speech, words
• वचनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• द्रोणपुत्रः: Drona's son (Ashvatthaman)
• द्रोणपुत्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रोणपुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• महारथः: great chariot-warrior
• महारथः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारथ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• नमश्चकार: made obeisance, bowed
• Type: Verb
• Root: नमस् + कृ
• Form: Perfect, 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• रुद्राय: to Rudra
• रुद्राय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• बहु: much, greatly
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु
• Form: Neuter (adverbial use), Accusative, Singular

• मेने: thought, considered
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन्
• Form: Perfect, 3rd, Singular, Atmanepada

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• केशवम्: Keshava (Krishna)
• केशवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: केशव
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Droṇaputra (Aśvatthāmā)
• Rudra (Śiva)
• Keśava (Kṛṣṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even amid warfare, true strength is tempered by reverence: the warrior recognizes higher divine powers (Rudra and Keśava) and aligns his attitude with humility rather than mere pride in arms.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Droṇa’s son Aśvatthāmā, after hearing a significant statement (from the preceding context), responds by saluting Rudra and by esteeming Keśava highly—signaling acknowledgment of their decisive spiritual and moral stature in the unfolding battle.