Shloka 54

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

Devanagari script

चेकितानो धृष्टकेतुर्युयुत्सुश्चार्दयन्‌ द्विपम्‌ । त एन॑ शरधाराभिर्धाराभिरिव तोयदा:

Transliteration

cekitāno dhṛṣṭaketur yuyutsuś cārdayan dvipam | te enaṁ śaradhārābhir dhārābhir iva toyadāḥ ||

Translation

ສັນຊະຍະກ່າວວ່າ: ເຈກິຕານ, ທຣິດເກຕຸ ແລະ ຢຸຍຸດສຸ ໄດ້ກົດດັນໃສ່ຊ້າງຢ່າງຮຸນແຮງ. ພວກເຂົາສາດລູກສອນເປັນສາຍບໍ່ຂາດ ດັ່ງເມກນໍາຝົນທີ່ຖອກລົງເປັນທາງນໍ້າບໍ່ຢຸດ—ພາບແຫ່ງພະລັງອັນບໍ່ຫຍໍ້ທ່າມກາງຄວາມເດືອດດານແລະໜ້າທີ່ໃນສົງຄາມ.

Word by Word

• चेकितानः: Cekitāna (a warrior)
• चेकितानः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: चेकितान
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• धृष्टकेतुः: Dhṛṣṭaketu
• धृष्टकेतुः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धृष्टकेतु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• युयुत्सुः: Yuyutsu
• युयुत्सुः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: युयुत्सु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अर्दयन्: they afflicted/assailed
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्द्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural

• द्विपम्: the elephant
• द्विपम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विप
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• ते: they
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• एनम्: him/that one (the elephant)
• एनम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• शरधाराभिः: with streams/showers of arrows
• शरधाराभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरधारा
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Plural

• धाराभिः: with streams
• धाराभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धारा
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Plural

• इव: like/as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• तोयदाः: rain-clouds
• तोयदाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोयद
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• संजय (Sañjaya)
• चेकितान (Cekitāna)
• धृष्टकेतु (Dhṛṣṭaketu)
• युयुत्सु (Yuyutsu)
• द्विप (elephant)
• शर (arrows)
• तोयद (rain-clouds)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores steadfastness in one’s appointed duty amid chaos: disciplined, collective effort in battle is portrayed through the ethical frame of kṣatriya-dharma, using a vivid simile to show unwavering resolve rather than cruelty for its own sake.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Cekitāna, Dhṛṣṭaketu, and Yuyutsu jointly assail an elephant, striking it with dense, continuous volleys of arrows, compared to rain-clouds releasing torrents.