Shloka 23

धर्मरहस्योपदेशः

Dharma-rahasya Instruction: Vows, Truth, and Non-injury

Devanagari script

एष शूरश्न वीरश्न क्रोधनश्व वृकोदर: । निरपेक्ष: शरीरे च प्राणतक्षु बलाधिक:,सोड्द्य संग्रामशिरसि संनद्धः क्रोधमूर्च्छित:

Transliteration

eṣa śūraś ca vīraś ca krodhanaś ca vṛkodaraḥ | nirapekṣaḥ śarīre ca prāṇatyāge balādhikaḥ | so 'dya saṅgrāmaśirasi sannaddhaḥ krodhamūrcchitaḥ ||

Translation

സഞ്ജയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഇവൻ വൃക്കോദരൻ; ശൂരനും വീരനും, ക്രോധത്തിൽ ഉഗ്രനും. ശരീരത്തെക്കുറിച്ച് നിരപേക്ഷൻ; പ്രാണത്യാഗത്തിനുള്ള സന്നദ്ധതയിലും ബലത്തിൽ മേലാളൻ. ഇന്ന് യുദ്ധത്തിന്റെ അഗ്രഭാഗത്ത്, പൂർണ്ണമായി സന്നദ്ധനായി, ക്രോധാവേശത്തിൽ നില്ക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

एषःthis (man)

शूरःhero, brave man

चand

वीरःwarrior, valiant one

चand

क्रोधनःwrathful, prone to anger

चand

वृकोदरःVṛkodara (Bhīma; lit. 'wolf-bellied')

निरपेक्षःindifferent, unconcerned

शरीरेin (his) body

चand

प्राणत्यक्षीready to give up life, life-renouncing

बलाधिकःsuperior in strength

सःhe

उद्यतःready, raised/prepared (for action)

संग्रामशिरसिat the head/front of the battle

संनद्धःarmoured, fully equipped

क्रोधमूर्च्छितःovercome/possessed by anger

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Vṛkodara (Bhīma)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the warrior-ethic of fearlessness and readiness to sacrifice one’s life, while also warning—by description rather than sermon—how anger can seize even a great hero and shape conduct on the battlefield.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya points out Bhīma (Vṛkodara) to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, portraying him as powerfully armed, positioned at the front of the fight, and driven by intense anger—setting the tone for imminent violent engagement.