Mahabharata 7.112.83 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 112, Shloka 83

द्रोणपर्व (अध्याय ११२) — कर्णभीमयोर्युद्धम्, दुर्योधनस्य रक्षणादेशः

Droṇa-parva 112: Karṇa–Bhīma Engagement and Duryodhana’s Protective Order

Devanagari script

तन्न जानामि वार्ष्णेय यदि जीवति वा न वा । कुरूणां चापि तत्‌ सैन्यं सागरप्रतिमं महत्‌

Transliteration

tan na jānāmi vārṣṇeya yadi jīvati vā na vā | kurūṇāṃ cāpi tat sainyaṃ sāgara-pratimaṃ mahat |

Translation

ಯುಧಿಷ್ಠಿರನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—ವಾರ್ಷ್ಣೇಯಾ! ಈ ಕ್ಷಣ ಅರ್ಜುನನು ಜೀವಂತನಾಗಿದ್ದಾನೋ ಇಲ್ಲವೋ ನನಗೆ ತಿಳಿಯದು. ಕುರುಗಳ ಸೇನೆ ಸಮುದ್ರದಂತೆ ಮಹತ್ತಾಗಿದೆ; ಮಹಾಯುದ್ಧದಲ್ಲಿ ಅದರ ಆಘಾತವನ್ನು ದೇವರೂ ಸಹಿಸಲಾರರು. ಅಂಥ ಕೌರವ-ಸೇನೆಯೊಳಗೆ ಮಹಾಬಾಹು ಅರ್ಜುನನು ಒಬ್ಬನೇ ಪ್ರವೇಶಿಸಿದ್ದಾನೆ.

Word by Word

• {'tat': 'that', 'na jānāmi': 'I do not know', 'vārṣṇeya': 'O descendant of the Vṛṣṇis (address to Kṛṣṇa)', 'yadi': 'whether/if', 'jīvati': 'is alive, lives', 'vā ... vā': 'either ... or', 'kurūṇām': 'of the Kurus/Kauravas', 'ca api': 'and also', 'sainyam': 'army, host', 'sāgara-pratimam': 'comparable to the ocean', 'mahat': 'great, vast'}

Speaker

युधिष्ठिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Kṛṣṇa (Vārṣṇeya)
• Arjuna
• Kurus/Kauravas
• Devas (gods)
• Kaurava army (sainya)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical burden of leadership and kinship in war: even a dharmic king like Yudhiṣṭhira is shaken by uncertainty over a loved one’s survival, while also recognizing the overwhelming scale of violence. It underscores humility before fate and the human cost that persists even in a righteous cause.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Drona Parva’s intense fighting, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Kṛṣṇa as Vārṣṇeya, confessing he does not know whether Arjuna lives. He describes the Kaurava forces as ocean-like and nearly irresistible, and notes that Arjuna has entered that massive enemy formation alone, heightening the tension and fear for Arjuna’s safety.