Shloka 60

धृतराष्ट्र-संजय-संवादः — दुर्योधनस्य ह्रदप्रवेशः

Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Saṃjaya Dialogue: Duryodhana’s Entry into the Lake

Devanagari script

माद्रीसुतस्तस्य समुद्यतं त॑ प्रासं सुवृत्ती च भुजी रणाग्रे । भल्लैस्त्रिभिर्युगपत्‌ संचकर्त ननाद चोच्चैस्तरसा55जिमध्ये

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

mādrīsutas tasya samudyataṃ taṃ prāsaṃ suvṛttī ca bhujī raṇāgre |

bhallais tribhir yugapat saṃcakarta nanāda coccais tarasā ’jimadhye ||

Translation

Санджая сказал: На поле брани сын Мадри тремя острыми стрелами разом рассёк поднятое копьё противника и отсёк обе его округлые, могучие руки. Затем, в самой гуще боя, он громко зарычал, стремительный и яростный — знак воинского превосходства и ожесточения сердца, которого требует война.

Word by Word

• {'sañjaya uvāca': 'Sañjaya said', 'mādrīsutaḥ': 'son of Mādrī (Nakula or Sahadeva

• here the context indicates Sahadeva against Śakuni)', 'tasya': 'of him, his (the opponent’s)', 'samudyatam': 'raised up, lifted, brandished', 'prāsam': 'spear, lance', 'suvṛttī': 'well-rounded, shapely (dual

• describing the two arms)', 'bhujī': 'two arms (dual of bhuja)', 'raṇāgre': 'at the forefront of battle', 'bhallaiḥ': 'with bhalla-arrows (broad-headed/razor-like arrows used for cutting)', 'tribhiḥ': 'with three', 'yugapat': 'simultaneously, at the same time', 'saṃcakarta': 'he cut off, severed', 'nanāda': 'he roared, bellowed', 'uccaiḥ': 'loudly', 'tarasā': 'with speed, force, impetuosity', 'ajimadhye': 'in the midst of the battle/fight'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Mādrī’s son (Sahadeva implied)
• Śakuni (implied by context/tradition of this episode)
• prāsa (spear)
• bhalla (broad-headed arrows)
• battlefield (raṇa/aji)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the harsh ethic of kṣatriya warfare: skill and decisiveness are praised in battle, yet the scene also underscores how war compels extreme acts and emotional hardening—victory is achieved through ruthless precision rather than compassion.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mādrī’s son (understood here as Sahadeva) confronts his opponent in the thick of combat, and with three bhalla-arrows simultaneously cuts down the opponent’s raised spear and both arms, then roars loudly to assert dominance and rally momentum in the fight.