Shloka 25

Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 29 — Arjuna’s defeat of Vṛṣaka–Acalā and the neutralization of Śakuni’s māyā

Devanagari script

ततोडर्जुनं वासुदेव: प्रत्युवाचार्थवद्‌ वच: । शृणु गुह्ामिदं पार्थ पुरा वृत्तं यथानघ,तब वसुदेवनन्दन भगवान्‌ श्रीकृष्णने अर्जुनसे ये रहस्यपूर्ण वचन कहे--“अनघ! कुन्तीनन्दन! इस विषयमें यह गोपनीय रहस्यकी बात सुनो, जो पूर्वकालमें घटित हो चुकी है

Transliteration

tato ’rjunaṃ vāsudevaḥ pratyuvācārthavad vacaḥ | śṛṇu guhyam idaṃ pārtha purā vṛttaṃ yathānagha ||

Translation

ତାପରେ ବାସୁଦେବ ଶ୍ରୀକୃଷ୍ଣ ଅର୍ଜୁନଙ୍କୁ ଅର୍ଥପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣ ବଚନ କହିଲେ—“ପାର୍ଥ! ଏହି ଗୁହ୍ୟ କଥା ଶୁଣ; ଅନଘ! ଏହା ପୂର୍ବକାଳରେ ଯଥାର୍ଥରେ ଘଟିଥିବା ପୁରାତନ ବୃତ୍ତାନ୍ତ।”

Word by Word

• {'tataḥ': 'then, thereafter', 'arjunam': 'to Arjuna (accusative singular)', 'vāsudevaḥ': 'Vāsudeva

• Kṛṣṇa, son of Vasudeva', 'pratyuvāca': 'replied

• spoke in response', 'arthavat': 'meaningful, substantial, purposeful', 'vacaḥ': 'speech, words', 'śṛṇu': 'listen (imperative)', 'guhyam': 'secret, confidential, esoteric', 'idam': 'this', 'pārtha': 'son of Pṛthā (Kuntī)

• Arjuna', 'purā': 'formerly, in ancient times', 'vṛttam': 'that which occurred

• an event, account', 'yathā': 'as, just as

• in the manner of', 'anagha': 'blameless, sinless (vocative)'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Arjuna
• Vāsudeva (Śrī Kṛṣṇa)
• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• Anagha (epithet of Arjuna)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Kṛṣṇa signals that his guidance is not casual battlefield talk but a weighty, confidential instruction grounded in an ancient precedent. Ethically, it frames right action (dharma) as something illuminated by enduring truths and exemplary past events, to be received with attentiveness and trust.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates that Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva) responds to Arjuna, urging him to listen to a secret account from ancient times. The verse functions as a transition: Kṛṣṇa is about to introduce a prior incident or traditional teaching to guide Arjuna’s conduct amid the ongoing war.