Shloka 20

Adhyāya 65: Dawn Assembly, Makara–Śyena Vyūhas, and Commander Engagements

Devanagari script

अभ्यवर्तन्त संद्ृष्टा: परस्परवधैषिण: । ते वै समेयु: संग्रामे राजन्‌ दुर्मन्त्रिते तव

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | abhyavartanta saṃdṛṣṭāḥ parasparavadhaiṣiṇaḥ | te vai sameyuḥ saṅgrāme rājan durmantrite tava ||

Translation

Санджая сказал: Увидев друг друга и жаждая взаимного убийства, они ринулись вперед. Воистину, о царь, они сошлись в битве — встреча, вызванная твоим дурным советом, и следствием ее стало это столкновение воинов.

Word by Word

• अभ्यवर्तन्त: they advanced / moved towards
• अभ्यवर्तन्त: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-√वृत् (वर्तते)
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• संदृष्टाः: having seen (each other) / on seeing
• संदृष्टाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-√दृश् (दृष्ट)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• परस्पर-वध-एषिणः: seeking one another's killing
• परस्पर-वध-एषिणः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एषिन् (from √इष्/√एष् 'to seek')
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• ते: they
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• समेयुः: they came together / met
• समेयुः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-√इ (एति)
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• संग्रामे: in battle
• संग्रामे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संग्राम
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• दुर्मन्त्रिते: in (the matter) ill-advised / due to bad counsel
• दुर्मन्त्रिते: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्मन्त्रित (from दुर् + मन्त्रित, PPP of √मन्त्र्)
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• तव: of you / your
• तव: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Genitive, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• King Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores moral responsibility in governance: destructive outcomes in war are not merely accidental but can be traced to flawed counsel and unethical decision-making, for which the ruler bears accountability.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that opposing warriors, once they came within sight of each other, advanced eagerly with the intent to kill, and that their direct clash in battle occurred as a consequence of the king’s misguided policies.