Shloka 25

धृतराष्ट्रस्य मूर्च्छा तथा द्रोणविषयकप्रश्नाः

Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Fainting and Questions Concerning Droṇa

Devanagari script

नूनमावारयत्‌ पार्थों रथिनो<न्यानजिह्ागै:

Transliteration

nūnam āvārayat pārtho rathino 'nyān ajihāgaiḥ

Translation

Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Surely Pārtha (Arjuna) has checked the other chariot-warriors, holding them back as if with swift, unerring serpents.”

Word by Word

• नूनम्: surely, indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नूनम्

• आवारयत्: warded off, restrained
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + √वृ (वृणोति/वारयति)
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• पार्थः: Pārtha (Arjuna)
• पार्थः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• रथिनः: chariot-warriors
• रथिनः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथिन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• अन्यान्: other
• अन्यान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• अजिह्वागैः: with (weapons/shafts) having no tongues (i.e., silent/without speech)
• अजिह्वागैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अजिह्वाग
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• rathin (chariot-warriors)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how exceptional prowess and disciplined action can restrain chaos in war; it also reflects Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s anxious moral awareness that adharma-driven aggression meets capable resistance, intensifying his foreboding about the war’s outcome.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra, hearing of the battle, infers that Arjuna has effectively held back other chariot-fighters—suggesting Arjuna’s dominance on the field and the Kaurava side’s difficulty in advancing.