Mahabharata 7.191.63 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 191, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

आसंस्तु पाण्डुपुत्राणां त्रयो जिह्मा महारथा:

Transliteration

āsāṁs tu pāṇḍuputrāṇāṁ trayo jihmā mahārathāḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya disse: Entre os filhos de Pāṇḍu havia três grandes guerreiros de carro, de índole astuta e indireta. Esses três—Nakula, Sahadeva e Bhīmasena—clamaram a Arjuna: “Arjuna, corre—corre depressa—e afasta estes Kauravas de junto de Droṇācārya!”

Word by Word

• आसन्: were
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect), 3, plural, परस्मैपद

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

• पाण्डु-पुत्राणाम्: of the sons of Pāṇḍu (Pāṇḍavas)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डुपुत्र
• Form: masculine, genitive, plural

• त्रयः: three
• त्रयः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• जिह्माः: crooked/oblique (in conduct)
• जिह्माः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जिह्म
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• महा-रथाः: great chariot-warriors
• महा-रथाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारथ
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pāṇḍuputras (Pāṇḍavas)
• Nakula
• Sahadeva
• Bhīmasena (Bhīma)
• Arjuna
• Droṇācārya (Droṇa)
• Kauravas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the tension between righteous duty and tactical necessity: in war, swift, decisive action is demanded, yet the means may involve indirect strategy (jihma). It invites reflection on how dharma is pursued under pressure—protecting one’s side and responding to immediate threats while remaining mindful of ethical boundaries.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that three prominent Pāṇḍava warriors—Nakula, Sahadeva, and Bhīma—are described as employing crafty tactics and urgently summon Arjuna to rush to the front and repel the Kauravas positioned near Droṇa, indicating a critical moment requiring Arjuna’s intervention.