Shloka 20

Devanagari script

गृहाण धर्मराजं वा जहि वा त्वं धनंजयम्‌

Transliteration

gṛhāṇa dharmarājaṃ vā jahi vā tvaṃ dhanañjayam

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Either capture Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira), or else you, Dhanañjaya (Arjuna), strike him down.” The line frames the war’s grim ethical pressure: victory is demanded through either restraint (taking captive) or lethal force, with the fate of dharma and kingship hanging on the choice.

Word by Word

• गृहाण: take, accept (you take!)
• गृहाण: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह्
• Form: लोट्, परस्मैपदम्, मध्यम, एकवचनम्

• धर्मराजम्: Dharmaraja (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• धर्मराजम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मराज
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा

• जहि: kill (you kill!)
• जहि: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: लोट्, परस्मैपदम्, मध्यम, एकवचनम्

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: त्रिलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• धनंजयम्: Dhanañjaya (Arjuna)
• धनंजयम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनंजय
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Dhanañjaya (Arjuna)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the harsh moral calculus of war: even when dharma is invoked, outcomes are pursued through coercion—either non-lethal domination (capturing the righteous king) or outright killing. It exposes the tension between ethical ideals and battlefield imperatives.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya, narrating the battle to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, reports a forceful directive aimed at deciding the war’s course: target Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira) for capture, or have Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) be slain—an urgent tactical demand centered on key leaders.