Mahabharata 9.3.58 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 3, Shloka 58

अध्याय ३: कृपस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति नीत्युपदेशः

Kṛpa’s Counsel to Duryodhana

Devanagari script

तस्य तदू वचन राज्ञ: पूजयित्वा महारथा:

Transliteration

tasya tad u vacanaṁ rājñaḥ pūjayitvā mahārathāḥ punar yuddhāya pāṇḍavānām abhimukham ājagmuḥ; parājayo hy eṣām asahyaḥ samabhavat, tasmāt te parākrame eva manaḥ cakruḥ.

Translation

Санджая сказал: Почтив слова царя, те великие воины-колесничие вновь двинулись навстречу Пандавам, чтобы сразиться. Поражение стало для них невыносимым; потому они устремили помыслы лишь к доблести и с новым рвением принялись за ратный труд.

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him/that
• तस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• उ: indeed/and (emphatic particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उ

• वचनम्: speech/word
• वचनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• राज्ञः: of the king
• राज्ञः: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• पूजयित्वा: having honored/respected
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज्
• Form: Absolutive (क्त्वा), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral here)

• महारथाः: great chariot-warriors
• महारथाः: Karta
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: महारथ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Duryodhana
• Pāṇḍavas
• mahārathas (Kaurava warriors)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how honour and wounded pride can drive warriors back into conflict: they respect the king’s command and, unable to bear defeat, commit themselves to renewed exertion. Ethically, it shows the tension between kṣatriya resolve and the danger of letting ego and intolerance of loss dictate action.

What is happening in the narrative?

After hearing and accepting the king’s words (Duryodhana’s directive), the great chariot-warriors regroup and advance again to confront the Pāṇḍavas. Their previous setback feels intolerable, so they return with a single-minded focus on displaying prowess in battle.