Mahabharata 7.198.33 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 198, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

कर्मणा सुनृशंसेन तस्य नाथो व्यवस्थित: । द्रपदकुमार धृष्टद्युम्नने जिनपर आक्रमण करके अत्यन्त क्रूरतापूर्ण कर्मके द्वारा जिन्हें अनाथके समान मार डाला था

Transliteration

karmaṇā sunṛśaṃsena tasya nātho vyavasthitaḥ | drupadakumāra dhṛṣṭadyumnena yenāparākrameṇa ākrāmya atyanta-krūratāpūrṇa-karmaṇā anāthavat nihato 'bhūt, tasyaiva eṣa rakṣitā sahāyakaḥ utthitaḥ | guru me yatra pāñcālyaḥ keśapakṣe parāmṛśat ||

Translation

അത്യന്തം ക്രൂരമായ കർമംകൊണ്ട് അവനെ അനാഥനെന്നപോലെ ആക്കി; എങ്കിലും അതേ വ്യക്തിക്കായി ഇന്നൊരു രക്ഷകൻ എഴുന്നേറ്റ് നില്ക്കുന്നു. ദ്രുപദപുത്രൻ ധൃഷ്ടദ്യുമ്നൻ ശത്രുഭാവത്തോടെ ആക്രമിച്ച് നിർദയകൃത്യത്തോടെ അവനെ നിരാശ്രയനെന്നപോലെ വധിച്ചു; അവിടെയായിരുന്നു പാഞ്ചാലകുമാരൻ എന്റെ ഗുരുവിനെ മുടിയിൽ പിടിച്ചത്.

Word by Word

• कर्मणा: by (the) deed/action
• कर्मणा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• सुनृशंसेन: by a very cruel (act)
• सुनृशंसेन: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुनृशंस
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• तस्य: of him/that (person)
• तस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• नाथः: protector/lord
• नाथः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाथ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• व्यवस्थितः: has stood forth/has arisen; is stationed
• व्यवस्थितः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्यवस्था (√स्था)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Dhrishtadyumna
• Drupada
• Drona (guru)
• Panchala (Pāñcāla)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical tension of war: acts done with cruelty (sunṛśaṃsa karma) create moral outrage and calls for accountability, especially when they involve violating reverence owed to a teacher. It contrasts helplessness created by violence with the sudden appearance of a ‘protector,’ underscoring how alliances and retaliation can invert roles of victim and defended party.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna recalls the brutal killing/striking down carried out by Drupada’s son Dhrishtadyumna and emphasizes the indignity of the Panchala prince seizing Arjuna’s teacher (Drona) by the hair. He points out that despite such cruelty, a defender has now arisen for that very person, sharpening the sense of injustice and the emotional stakes in the Drona Parva conflict.