Shloka 226

Devanagari script

हनिष्यामो्र्जुनं संख्ये द्विधा कृत्वाद्य भारतीम्‌ । (तिष्ठ स त्वं महाबाहो नित्यं शिष्य: प्रियस्तव ।।) “आज मैं, दुःशासन, कर्ण और मेरे मामा शकुनि कौरव-सेनाको दो भागोंमें बाँटकर युद्धमें अर्जुनको मार डालेंगे। महाबाहो! आप चुपचाप खड़े रहिये, क्योंकि अर्जुन सदासे ही आपके प्रिय शिष्य हैं'

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | haniṣyāmo 'rjunaṃ saṅkhye dvidhā kṛtvādya bhāratīm | (tiṣṭha sa tvaṃ mahābāho nityaṃ śiṣyaḥ priyastava ||)

Translation

サンジャヤは言った。「今日、戦場のただ中で、我らはクル族の軍を二翼に分け—この私、ドゥフシャーサナ、カルナ、そして母方の叔父シャクニ—アルジュナを討ち取る。大いなる腕の御方よ、黙して脇に立たれよ。アルジュナは常にあなたの愛弟子であったのだから。」

Word by Word

हनिष्यामःwe shall kill

अर्जुनम्Arjuna

संख्येin battle

द्विधाinto two parts, in two ways

कृत्वाhaving made

अद्यtoday, now

भारतीम्the Bharati (army/host of the Bharatas) / Bharati (speech)

तिष्ठstand, remain

सःhe / that one

त्वम्you

महाबाहोO mighty-armed one

नित्यम्always

शिष्यःdisciple

प्रियःdear

तवof you, your

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Arjuna

Bharata/Kaurava army (Bhāratī)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical tension between personal bonds and wartime duty: even amid vows to kill, the speaker acknowledges the sanctity and power of the guru–śiṣya bond, implying that affection and obligation can restrain action or complicate righteous conduct (dharma) in war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a battlefield resolve to kill Arjuna by splitting the army into two divisions and attacking him. At the same time, someone addressed as “mighty-armed” is told to stand aside because Arjuna is described as that person’s beloved disciple, suggesting hesitation or a conflict of loyalties within the Kaurava side.