Shloka 39

धृतराष्ट्र-संजय-संवादः — दुर्योधनस्य ह्रदप्रवेशः

Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Saṃjaya Dialogue: Duryodhana’s Entry into the Lake

Devanagari script

असिं दृष्टवा तथा च्छिन्न॑ प्रगृह्ा महतीं गदाम्‌

Transliteration

asiṃ dṛṣṭvā tathā chinnaṃ pragṛhya mahatīṃ gadām

Translation

Sañjaya said: Seeing his sword thus cut down, he seized a great mace. In the brutal ethics of battlefield duty, when one weapon fails, the warrior must swiftly take up another—steadfast in resolve amid the escalating violence of the encounter.

Word by Word

• असिम्: sword
• असिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: असि
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for absolutive)

• तथा: thus, in that manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• छिन्नम्: cut off, severed
• Type: Adjective
• Root: छिन्न
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular, क्त (past passive participle)

• प्रगृह्य: having seized, taking up
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह्
• Form: प्र, ल्यप् (absolutive), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for absolutive)

• महतīm: great, huge
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• गदाम्: mace
• गदाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गदा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• sword (asi)
• mace (gadā)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights battlefield resolve within kṣatriya-dharma: when a weapon is destroyed, a warrior must not collapse into despair but adapt immediately, maintaining courage and readiness while the conflict intensifies.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that, after seeing his sword cut down, the combatant promptly grasps a large mace, signaling a shift in weapons and a continuation of the duel with renewed force.