Shloka 4

Arjuna Confronted by Saindhava Forces during the Aśvamedha Circuit (श्वेतवाहनस्य सैन्धवसंघर्षः)

Devanagari script

त्वया वृद्धो मम पिता भगदत्त: पितु: सखा । हतो वृद्धो मम पिता शिशुं मामद्य योधय,“मेरे वृद्ध पिता भगदत्त तुम्हारे बापके मित्र थे, तो भी तुमने उनकी हत्या की। मेरे पिता बूढ़े थे, इसलिये तुम्हारे हाथसे मारे गये। आज उनका बालक मैं तुम्हारे सामने उपस्थित हूँ; मेरे साथ युद्ध करो'

Transliteration

tvayā vṛddho mama pitā bhagadattaḥ pituḥ sakhā | hato vṛddho mama pitā śiśuṃ mām adya yodhaya ||

Translation

“నా వృద్ధ తండ్రి భగదత్తుడు నీ తండ్రికి మిత్రుడు; అయినా నీవు నా వృద్ధ తండ్రిని సంహరించితివి. వృద్ధుడైనందుననే ఆయన నీ చేతిలో పడిపోయెను. నేడు నేను, ఆయన కుమారుడు, నీ ఎదుట నిలిచియున్నాను—నాతో యుద్ధము చేయుము.”

Word by Word

त्वयाby you

वृद्धःold, aged

ममof me, my

पिताfather

भगदत्तःBhagadatta

पितुःof (your) father

सखाfriend

हतःkilled

वृद्धःold

ममmy

पिताfather

शिशुम्a child

माम्me

अद्यtoday, now

योधयfight (me) / engage in battle

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhagadatta

the speaker's father (Bhagadatta)

the addressee's father (unnamed here)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds the ethical tension between personal grief/vengeance and the warrior code: the speaker frames the killing of an elderly father as morally charged and seeks to restore honor through direct combat, illustrating how dharma in war is often argued through lineage, friendship, and perceived fairness.

What is happening in the narrative?

A grieving son confronts the warrior who killed his aged father Bhagadatta, reminding him that Bhagadatta was a friend of the opponent’s father, accusing him of slaying an old man, and issuing a challenge to fight the son now.