Shloka 22

ध्वजवर्णनम् | Dhvaja-varṇanam

Description of War Standards

Devanagari script

तत्तु दुर्योधन: श्रुत्वा मन्सत्रिभिर्मन्त्रयिष्यति

Transliteration

tat tu duryodhanaḥ śrutvā mantribhir mantrayiṣyati

Translation

Sañjaya said: Having heard that, Duryodhana will then take counsel with his ministers—seeking a course of action amid the pressures of war and the demands of kingship.

Word by Word

• तत्: that (matter/thing)
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• दुर्योधनः: Duryodhana
• दुर्योधनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्योधन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for ktvā), Non-finite

• मन्त्रिभिः: with ministers/counsellors
• मन्त्रिभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्रिन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• मन्त्रयिष्यति: will consult/deliberate
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन्त्र्
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), Ātmanepada, Third, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Duryodhana
• ministers (mantrins)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the role of counsel in governance: a ruler, upon receiving significant news, turns to deliberation with advisers. Ethically, it implies that decisions—especially in war—should be weighed through consultation rather than impulse, though the quality of counsel and the ruler’s intent determine whether such deliberation serves dharma or merely expediency.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duryodhana, after hearing the preceding information, will consult with his ministers. It marks a transition from receiving news to planning the next move within the unfolding events of the Drona Parva.