Shloka 13

इन्द्रजिद्-लक्ष्मणयुद्धम्

Indrajit and Lakṣmaṇa: Escalation through Concealment

Devanagari script

तमभ्याशगतं राजा पदातिं कुन्तिनन्दन: । अर्धचन्द्रेण बाणेन विव्याधोरसि धर्मराट्‌,उसे पैदल ही पास आया देख कुन्तीनन्दन धर्मराज युधिष्ठिरने अर्धचन्द्राकार बाणसे उसकी छातीको छेद डाला

Transliteration

tam abhyāśagataṃ rājā padātiṃ kuntīnandanaḥ | ardhacandreṇa bāṇena vivyādhorasi dharmarāṭ ||

Translation

ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。――歩兵が間近に迫ったのを見て、クンティーの子にしてダルマに堅き王ユディシュティラは、半月形の矢でその胸を射貫いた。戦闘の圧迫の中にあっても、物語はこの行為を規律ある王道として描く。すなわち、残虐ゆえではなく、目前の脅威に対する義務としての護りのために、断乎として力を用いたのである。

Word by Word

तम्him

अभ्याशगतम्come near / approached

राजाthe king

पदातिम्the foot-soldier

कुन्तिनन्दनःKunti's son (Yudhiṣṭhira)

अर्धचन्द्रेणwith a half-moon (shaped arrowhead)

बाणेनwith an arrow

विव्याधpierced

उरसिin/on the chest

धर्मराट्the righteous king (Yudhiṣṭhira)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmarāja, Kuntīnandana)

padāti (foot-soldier)

ardhacandra-bāṇa (crescent-shaped arrow)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights dharma in action: a righteous king uses necessary force with restraint and clarity of purpose, responding to an immediate threat as part of kṣatriya duty rather than from anger or cruelty.

What is happening in the narrative?

An infantryman approaches closely; Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmarāja), seeing this, shoots a crescent-shaped arrow and pierces the man in the chest.