Shloka 21

Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 47 — Arjuna’s Deterrent Declaration

Sañjaya’s Report

Devanagari script

शैक्येन नागांस्तरसा विगृह्नन्‌ यदा छेत्ता धार्तराष्ट्रस्य सैन्यम्‌ छिन्दन्‌ वन॑ परशुनेव शूर- स्तदा युद्ध धार्तराष्ट्रोडन्वतप्स्यत्‌

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | śaikyena nāgāṁs tarasā vigṛhṇan yadā chettā dhārtarāṣṭrasya sainyaṁ chindan vanaṁ paraśuneva śūraḥ | tadā yuddhe dhārtarāṣṭro ’nvatapsyat ||

Translation

सञ्जय उवाच—शैक्येन नागांस्तरसा विगृह्णन् यदा छेत्ता धार्तराष्ट्रस्य सैन्यम् । छिन्दन् वनं परशुनेव शूरः तदा युद्धे धार्तराष्ट्रोऽनुतप्स्यत् ॥

Word by Word

• शैक्येन: with a noose/loop (snare)
• शैक्येन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शैक्य (शक्य)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• नागान्: serpents/elephants (here: serpents as simile)
• नागान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• तरसा: with force, violently
• तरसा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तरस्
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• विगृह्नन्: seizing/dragging (while doing so)
• विगृह्नन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-ग्रह्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, शतृ (present active participle)

• यदा: when
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा

• छेत्ता: the cutter, the slayer
• छेत्ता: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: छेतृ (from √छिद्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• धार्तराष्ट्रस्य: of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s (son), i.e., Duryodhana’s
• Type: Noun
• Root: धार्तराष्ट्र
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• सैन्यम्: army
• सैन्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सैन्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• छिन्दन्: cutting, hewing
• छिन्दन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: √छिद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, शतृ (present active participle)

• वनम्: a forest
• वनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• परशुना: with an axe
• परशुना: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: परशु
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• इव: like, as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• शूरः: the hero/warrior
• शूरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तदा: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा

• युद्धे: in battle
• युद्धे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• धार्तराष्ट्रः: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son (Duryodhana)
• धार्तराष्ट्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धार्तराष्ट्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अन्वतप्स्यत्: would regret, would be pained afterward
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु-√तप्
• Form: Conditional (लृङ्), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Duryodhana (implied as dhārtarāṣṭraḥ)
• Bhīmasena (implied by the description of the heroic destroyer)
• Kaurava army (dhārtarāṣṭrasya sainyam)
• noose/snare (śaikya)
• axe (paraśu)
• forest (vana)
• serpents (nāga, metaphor)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Aggression rooted in pride and refusal of rightful settlement leads to catastrophic loss and inevitable remorse; the verse frames war as a moral and strategic blunder whose consequences cannot be undone once unleashed.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya foretells the battlefield outcome: Bhīma will tear through the Kaurava forces with overwhelming power, and Duryodhana—seeing his army shattered—will inwardly repent for having initiated the war.