Shloka 60

धृतराष्ट्र-संजय-संवादः — दुर्योधनस्य ह्रदप्रवेशः

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

Devanagari script

माद्रीसुतस्तस्य समुद्यतं त॑ प्रासं सुवृत्ती च भुजी रणाग्रे । भल्लैस्त्रिभिर्युगपत्‌ संचकर्त ननाद चोच्चैस्तरसा55जिमध्ये,माद्रीकुमारने शकुनिके उस उठे हुए प्रासको और उसकी दोनों सुन्दर गोल-गोल भुजाओंको भी युद्धके मुहानेपर तीन भल्लोंद्वारा एक साथ ही काट डाला और युद्धस्थलमें उच्चस्वरसे वेगपूर्वक गर्जना की

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

mādrīsutas tasya samudyataṃ taṃ prāsaṃ suvṛttī ca bhujī raṇāgre |

bhallais tribhir yugapat saṃcakarta nanāda coccais tarasā ’jimadhye ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: On the battlefield, Mādrī’s son cut down at once with three sharp arrows the upraised spear of his opponent, and also severed his two well-rounded, powerful arms. Then, in the midst of the fight, he roared aloud with swift, fierce energy—an act that signals both martial dominance and the hardening of hearts that war demands.

Word by Word

• {'sañjaya uvāca': 'Sañjaya said', 'mādrīsutaḥ': 'son of Mādrī (Nakula or Sahadeva

• here the context indicates Sahadeva against Śakuni)', 'tasya': 'of him, his (the opponent’s)', 'samudyatam': 'raised up, lifted, brandished', 'prāsam': 'spear, lance', 'suvṛttī': 'well-rounded, shapely (dual

• describing the two arms)', 'bhujī': 'two arms (dual of bhuja)', 'raṇāgre': 'at the forefront of battle', 'bhallaiḥ': 'with bhalla-arrows (broad-headed/razor-like arrows used for cutting)', 'tribhiḥ': 'with three', 'yugapat': 'simultaneously, at the same time', 'saṃcakarta': 'he cut off, severed', 'nanāda': 'he roared, bellowed', 'uccaiḥ': 'loudly', 'tarasā': 'with speed, force, impetuosity', 'ajimadhye': 'in the midst of the battle/fight'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Mādrī’s son (Sahadeva implied)
• Śakuni (implied by context/tradition of this episode)
• prāsa (spear)
• bhalla (broad-headed arrows)
• battlefield (raṇa/aji)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the harsh ethic of kṣatriya warfare: skill and decisiveness are praised in battle, yet the scene also underscores how war compels extreme acts and emotional hardening—victory is achieved through ruthless precision rather than compassion.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mādrī’s son (understood here as Sahadeva) confronts his opponent in the thick of combat, and with three bhalla-arrows simultaneously cuts down the opponent’s raised spear and both arms, then roars loudly to assert dominance and rally momentum in the fight.