Shloka 45

द्रोणकर्णयोः निशि संप्रहारः — Night Engagement with Droṇa and Karṇa

Devanagari script

सैन्धवं पृष्ठतः कृत्वा जिघांसन्तो<च्युतार्जुनौ

Transliteration

saindhavaṁ pṛṣṭhataḥ kṛtvā jighāṁsanto 'cyutārjunau

Translation

ਸੰਜੈ ਨੇ ਆਖਿਆ—ਸੈੰਧਵ ਨੂੰ ਪਿੱਛੇ ਰੱਖ ਕੇ, ਅਚ੍ਯੁਤ ਅਤੇ ਅਰਜੁਨ ਉਸ ਦਾ ਵਧ ਕਰਨ ਦੇ ਇਰਾਦੇ ਨਾਲ ਅੱਗੇ ਵਧੇ।

Word by Word

• सैन्धवम्: the Sindhu-king (Jayadratha)
• सैन्धवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सैन्धव
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• पृष्ठतः: from behind / at the back
• पृष्ठतः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृष्ठतस्

• कृत्वा: having placed/made
• कृत्वा: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund)

• जिघांसन्तः: wishing to kill / intending to slay
• जिघांसन्तः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अच्युतार्जुनौ: Achyuta and Arjuna (Krishna and Arjuna)
• अच्युतार्जुनौ: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अच्युत + अर्जुन
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Dual

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Saindhava (Jayadratha)
• Acyuta (Kṛṣṇa)
• Arjuna

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights battlefield dharma as a blend of strategy and moral resolve: decisive action is taken against a perceived grave offender, while tactical positioning (placing an enemy to the rear) supports the pursuit of a higher wartime objective.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna moving with lethal intent, positioning Jayadratha (Saindhava) behind them—indicating a tactical maneuver as they advance in the conflict centered on Jayadratha’s role in earlier violence against the Pāṇḍavas.