Shloka 25

Duryodhana Seeks Droṇa’s Counsel; Imperative to Protect Jayadratha; Pāñcāla Assault on Duryodhana

Devanagari script

ततो दुर्योधन: कृष्णौ नवभिर्नवशभि: शरै:

Transliteration

tato duryodhanaḥ kṛṣṇau navabhir navaśabhiḥ śaraiḥ

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: Kemudian Duryodhana, mendesak pertempuran terus mara, memanah “dua Kṛṣṇa” dengan sembilan batang anak panah—suatu perbuatan yang mencerminkan peningkatan perang yang tidak mengenal henti, sehingga sekutu yang dihormati pun diperlakukan sebagai sasaran tatkala segala pengekangan runtuh.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

दुर्योधनःDuryodhana

कृष्णौthe two Krishnas (Krishna and Arjuna)

नवभिःwith nine

नवशभिःninefold (in sets of nine)

शरैःwith arrows

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Duryodhana

the two Kṛṣṇas (kṛṣṇau)

arrows (śara)

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 how, in war, determination and hostility can override reverence and restraint; it invites reflection on the ethical cost of treating even honored figures merely as opponents, illustrating the moral erosion that prolonged conflict can produce.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Duryodhana shoots nine arrows at “the two Kṛṣṇas” (kṛṣṇau), indicating he targets two individuals bearing the name Kṛṣṇa; the line functions as a brief battlefield action report within the larger Drona Parva combat sequence.