Mahabharata 7.80.266 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 80, Shloka 266

ध्वजवर्णनम् | Dhvaja-varṇanam

Description of War Standards

Devanagari script

कश्चिदन्य: प्रियतर: कुन्तीपुत्रान्ममार्जुनात्‌ | “मुझे स्त्री, मित्र, कुटुम्बीजन, भाई-बन्धु तथा दूसरा कोई भी कुन्तीपुत्र अर्जुनसे अधिक प्रिय नहीं है

Transliteration

kaścid anyaḥ priyataraḥ kuntīputrān mamārjunāt |

Translation

సంజయుడు అన్నాడు—“కుంతీపుత్రుల్లో అర్జునునికంటే నాకు మరెవరు ఎక్కువ ప్రియులు?”

Word by Word

• कश्चित्: someone, any (one)
• कश्चित्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: क
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अन्यः: other
• अन्यः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• प्रियतरः: dearer, more beloved
• प्रियतरः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रियतर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कुन्तीपुत्रात्: than (a) son of Kuntī
• कुन्तीपुत्रात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुन्तीपुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• मम: of me, to me
• मम: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Singular

• अर्जुनात्: than Arjuna
• अर्जुनात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्जुन
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Kuntī
• Arjuna
• Kuntīputras (Pāṇḍavas)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the power of personal attachment and preference even in a dharmic crisis: one’s loyalties can become sharply focused on a single person, raising ethical tension between impartial duty and intimate affection.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Drona Parva’s war context, Sañjaya reports a statement that elevates Arjuna above the other sons of Kuntī in dearness, emphasizing Arjuna’s unique value and the emotional stakes surrounding him.