Shloka 26

द्रोणकर्णयोः निशि संप्रहारः — Night Engagement with Droṇa and Karṇa

Devanagari script

भृशं भिन्नतनु: संख्ये शरजालैरनेकश: । स्थातव्यमिति तिष्ठामि रणे सम्प्रति मानद,“मानद! सुदृढ़ लक्ष्यवाले वीर धनुर्धर भीमसेनने संग्राममें अपने बाणसमूहोंद्वारा अनेक बार मेरे शरीरको अत्यन्त क्षत-विक्षत कर दिया है। मुझे खड़ा रहना चाहिये (भागना नहीं चाहिये), यह सोचकर ही इस समय मैं रणभूमिमें ठहरा हुआ हूँ

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

bhṛśaṃ bhinnatanuḥ saṅkhye śarajālair anekaśaḥ |

sthātavyam iti tiṣṭhāmi raṇe samprati mānada ||

Translation

“ହେ ମାନଦ! ଯୁଦ୍ଧରେ ବାଣଜାଳ ଦ୍ୱାରା ଅନେକଥର ମୋ ଶରୀର ଭୟଙ୍କର ଭାବେ ଛିନ୍ନଭିନ୍ନ ହୋଇଛି; ତଥାପି ‘ମୋତେ ଦଢ଼ି ରହିବାକୁ ହେବ’ ଭାବି ମୁଁ ଏବେ ରଣରେ ଅଛି।”

Word by Word

• {'sañjaya uvāca': 'Sañjaya said', 'bhṛśam': 'exceedingly, intensely', 'bhinna-tanuḥ': 'one whose body is pierced/torn

• wounded in body', 'saṅkhye': 'in battle, in combat', 'śara-jālaiḥ': 'by nets/volleys of arrows', 'anekaśaḥ': 'many times, repeatedly', 'sthātavyam': 'it must be stood (one must stand firm)

• one should not flee', 'iti': 'thus, thinking', 'tiṣṭhāmi': 'I stand

• I remain', 'raṇe': 'in war, on the battlefield', 'samprati': 'now, at present', 'mānada': 'O giver of honor

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• arrows (śara)
• battlefield/war (saṅkhya/raṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even when grievously wounded, a warrior frames his choice through dharma and honor: the resolve to stand firm (sthātavyam) rather than flee becomes an ethical commitment, not merely a physical act.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a battlefield moment where the speaker, repeatedly pierced by dense volleys of arrows, remains in the fight by consciously deciding to hold his ground, addressing another as “mānada” (giver of honor).