Shloka 22

Devanagari script

अथवा तिष्ठ बीभत्सो सह सर्व: सहोदरै: । अहमेनं गदापाणिफर्जेष्याम्येकी महाहवे,“अथवा अर्जुन! तुम अपने समस्त भाइयोंके साथ यहीं खड़े रहो। मैं हाथमें गदा लेकर इस महासमरमें अकेला ही अश्वत्थामाको परास्त करूँगा'

Transliteration

athavā tiṣṭha bībhatsaḥ saha sarvaiḥ sahodaraiḥ | aham enaṃ gadāpāṇiḥ parjeṣyāmy ekī mahāhave ||

Translation

ಸಂಜಯನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—“ಅಥವಾ, ಬೀಭತ್ಸ ಅರ್ಜುನ! ನೀನು ನಿನ್ನ ಎಲ್ಲ ಸಹೋದರರೊಂದಿಗೆ ಇಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ದೃಢವಾಗಿ ನಿಂತಿರು; ನಾನು ಗದೆಯನ್ನು ಕೈಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹಿಡಿದು ಈ ಮಹಾಯುದ್ಧದಲ್ಲಿ ಒಬ್ಬನೇ ಅವನನ್ನು ಎದುರಿಸಿ ಸೋಲಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ.”

Word by Word

अथवाor else

तिष्ठstand (remain)

बीभत्सोO Bībhatsu (Arjuna)

सहtogether with

सर्वःall (entire)

सहोदरैःwith (your) brothers

अहम्I

एनम्him (this one)

गदापाणिone whose hand holds a mace / mace-in-hand

प्रहर्षयिष्यामिI shall gladden / I shall exult (i.e., act with great delight/ardor)

एकीalone

महाहवेin the great battle

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Arjuna (Bībhatsa)

Pandava brothers (sahodaraiḥ)

Gadā (mace)

Mahāhava (great battle)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights martial responsibility and protective solidarity: a warrior may take personal risk to safeguard his brothers and allies, expressing courage as a form of duty within the harsh ethics of battlefield life.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a challenge-like declaration addressed to Arjuna: Arjuna and his brothers are told to hold their position while the speaker, armed with a mace, vows to face and defeat the opponent alone in the great battle.