Shloka 55

Sātyaki-praveśaḥ and Duryodhana-saṃnipātaḥ

Sātyaki’s passage and Duryodhana’s mass engagement

Devanagari script

दुःशासन पुरस्कृत्य राजपुत्रा: सहस्रश:

Transliteration

duḥśāsana-puraskṛtya rājaputrāḥ sahasraśaḥ

Translation

サञ्जयは言った。ドゥフシャーサナを先頭に据え、王子たちは幾千とも知れぬ数で進み出た――悪名高い扇動者を軸に集められた力の相であり、ただ数の多さが、抑制ではなく敵意によって硬化した意志に仕えるさまでもあった。

Word by Word

• दुःशासनम्: Duhshasana (name of a Kaurava)
• दुःशासनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःशासन
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• पुरस्कृत्य: having placed in front / putting forward
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरस् + कृ
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage as avyaya)

• राजपुत्राः: princes (sons of kings)
• राजपुत्राः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजपुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सहस्रशः: by the thousand / in thousands
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहस्रशस्
• Form: adverb (शस्-pratyaya)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• संजय (Sañjaya)
• दुःशासन (Duḥśāsana)
• राजपुत्राः (the king’s sons / princes)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how leadership choice shapes collective action: when a figure known for harshness is placed at the front, the multitude’s power tends to be directed toward aggression rather than dharmic restraint—suggesting that numbers amplify the moral quality of the leadership guiding them.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the royal princes (the Kaurava side) move in great numbers, with Duḥśāsana positioned as the foremost leader in that advance, indicating an organized surge or charge led by him.