Shloka 316

Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)

Devanagari script

भगदत्तं सपाज्चाल्य: सर्वतः समवारयत्‌ । तब राजा युधिष्ठिरने भीमसेनको मारा गया जानकर पांचालदेशीय सैनिकोंको साथ ले भगदत्तको चारों ओरसे घेर लिया

Transliteration

bhagadattaṃ sa-pāñcālyaḥ sarvataḥ samavārayat | tadā rājā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ bhīmasenaṃ hataṃ jñātvā pāñcāladeśīya-sainikān saha nītvā bhagadattaṃ caturdiśaṃ paryavārayat |

Translation

サンジャヤは言った。「パーンチャーラ軍を伴い、彼らはバガダッタを四方から取り囲んだ。ついでユディシュティラ王は、ビーマセーナが討たれたと信じ、パーンチャーラの兵を集めて、バガダッタを四方より包囲した。」

Word by Word

• भगदत्तम्: Bhagadatta (as object)
• भगदत्तम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगदत्त
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• सपाञ्चाल्यः: the one accompanied by the Pāñcālyas / with Pāñcāla troops
• सपाञ्चाल्यः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सपाञ्चाल्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सर्वतः: on all sides
• सर्वतः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वतः

• समवारयत्: surrounded / hemmed in
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+वृ
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhagadatta
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Bhīmasena (Bhīma)
• Pāñcāla (Pāñcāla troops / Pāñcāladeśīya soldiers)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

In the midst of confusion and grief, a leader must still act according to duty (kṣatriya-dharma): protect the army, respond decisively to threats, and prevent panic. The verse highlights how perception on the battlefield—true or mistaken—can compel immediate strategic action.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Bhagadatta is hemmed in from all sides. Yudhiṣṭhira, thinking Bhīma has been killed, brings Pāñcāla troops and surrounds Bhagadatta on all four sides, intensifying the engagement against this powerful opponent.