Shloka 9

Devanagari script

कृतास्त्र निपुणं युद्धे5प्रतिमानं धनुष्मताम्‌ । न पश्यामि कुरुश्रेष्ठ तेन तप्ये वृकोदर,कुरुश्रेष्ठ भीमसेन! अस्त्रविद्यामें प्रवीण, युद्धुकुशल और अनुपम धनुर्धर उस अर्जुनको नहीं देखता हूँ, इस कारण मुझे बड़ा कष्ट होता है

Transliteration

Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: kṛtāstraṃ nipuṇaṃ yuddhe ’pratimānaṃ dhanuṣmatām | na paśyāmi kuruśreṣṭha tena tapye vṛkodara ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O best of the Kurus, O Vṛkodara, I do not see Arjuna—master of weapons, skilled in battle, and unmatched among bowmen. Therefore I am consumed with anguish.”

Word by Word

कृतास्त्रम्one who has mastered weapons

निपुणम्skilled

युद्धेin battle

अप्रतिमानम्unmatched, incomparable

धनुष्मताम्of the bowmen

नnot

पश्यामिI see

कुरुश्रेष्ठO best of the Kurus

तेनtherefore / by that (reason)

तप्येI am afflicted, I grieve

वृकोदरO Vṛkodara (Bhīma)

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Vṛkodara (Bhīma)

Arjuna

Kuru (Kuru lineage)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even a righteous leader can be shaken by separation and uncertainty; Yudhiṣṭhira’s lament shows the ethical weight of responsibility for one’s companions and the reliance of dharma on capable protectors. His grief is not mere weakness but an expression of concern for the collective welfare and the fragile balance of safety in exile.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the forest exile, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Bhīma, distressed because Arjuna—renowned as a peerless archer and master of weapons—is not present/visible. The verse conveys Yudhiṣṭhira’s worry and inner torment at Arjuna’s absence, highlighting how central Arjuna’s martial strength is to the brothers’ security.