Shloka 8

Devanagari script

यस्तु गोप्ता महेष्वासस्तस्य पापस्य दुर्मते: । तमेव प्रथमं द्रोणमभियास्यामि केशव,केशव! उस दुर्बुद्धि पापी जयद्रथकी रक्षाका बीड़ा उठाये हुए जो महाधनुर्धर आचार्य द्रोण हैं, पहले उन्हींपर आक्रमण करूँगा

Transliteration

yastu goptā maheṣvāsaḥ tasya pāpasya durmateḥ | tameva prathamaṃ droṇam abhiyāsyāmi keśava ||

Translation

Arjuna said: “But the great archer who has taken upon himself the task of protecting that sinful, ill-minded Jayadratha—him, Drona, I shall attack first, O Keshava.”

Word by Word

यःwho

तुbut/indeed

गोप्ताprotector/guardian

महेष्वासःgreat archer

तस्यof him/of that

पापस्यof the sinful one

दुर्मतेःof the evil-minded one

तम्him

एवindeed/only

प्रथमम्first (as an adverbial accusative: first of all)

द्रोणम्Drona

अभियास्यामिI shall attack/assail (lit. go against)

केशवO Keshava

केशवO Keshava (repeated for emphasis)

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

Drona

Keshava (Krishna)

Jayadratha

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?

The verse highlights moral accountability in war: protecting a wrongdoer makes the protector a primary obstacle. Arjuna frames his action as removing the shield around adharma—targeting the enabler (Drona) before reaching the offender (Jayadratha).

What is happening in the narrative?

In the aftermath of Jayadratha’s role in Abhimanyu’s death, Arjuna is determined to reach him. Learning that Drona, the foremost archer and commander, has undertaken Jayadratha’s protection, Arjuna tells Krishna that he will first assault Drona to break the defensive formation.