Shloka 39

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

Devanagari script

व्यवच्छिद्य तु राजानं भगदत्तं युधिष्ठिर:

Transliteration

vyavacchidya tu rājānaṃ bhagadattaṃ yudhiṣṭhiraḥ

Translation

ତେବେ ଯୁଧିଷ୍ଠିର ରାଜା ଭଗଦତ୍ତଙ୍କୁ ତାଙ୍କ ସହାୟକ ସେନାରୁ କାଟି ଅଲଗା କରି, ନୀତିଅନୁସାରେ ତାଙ୍କୁ ରୋକିବାକୁ ଅଗ୍ରସର ହେଲେ—ଯୁଦ୍ଧରେ ଅନାବଶ୍ୟକ ଅବ୍ୟବସ୍ଥା ବିନା ପ୍ରବଳ ଶତ୍ରୁକୁ ନିଷ୍ପ୍ରଭ କରିବା ରାଜଧର୍ମ।

Word by Word

• व्यवच्छिद्य: having cut off / having separated
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्यव-छिद्
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), कर्तरि, —, —, —

• तु: but / indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• राजानम्: the king
• राजानम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• भगदत्तम्: Bhagadatta
• भगदत्तम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगदत्त
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhishthira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• King Bhagadatta

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in violent conflict, righteous leadership expresses itself through restraint and clarity of purpose: isolating a dangerous opponent is a measured strategy that limits wider harm and prevents chaos, aligning martial action with responsible kingship.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Yudhiṣṭhira acts against King Bhagadatta by separating him from his support—suggesting a tactical move on the battlefield to neutralize Bhagadatta’s threat and control the flow of combat.