Shloka 17

अर्जुन-माहात्म्य-चिन्ता

Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Appraisal of Arjuna’s Strategic Supremacy

Devanagari script

अपि सारशथ्यघोषेण भयार्ता सव्यसाचिन:

Transliteration

api sāraśathyaghoṣeṇa bhayārtā savyasācinaḥ

Translation

ధృతరాష్ట్రుడు అన్నాడు—సవ్యసాచి (అర్జునుడు) వర్గానికి చెందినవారు, సారథి నైపుణ్యంతో లేచిన ఆ ఘోష విని భయంతో కలవరపడ్డారా?

Word by Word

• अपि: also; even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• सारशथ्यघोषेण: by the sound/clamor of charioteering
• सारशथ्यघोषेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सारशथ्यघोष
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• भयार्ता: distressed by fear
• भयार्ता: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भयार्त
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• सव्यसाचिनः: of the ambidextrous one (Arjuna)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सव्यसाचिन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Savyasācin (Arjuna)
• sārathi (charioteer)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The line highlights how fear and moral uncertainty can be exploited through strategic noise, rumor, or deceptive signaling; it implicitly raises an ethical question about whether victory sought through ‘śāṭhya’ (cunning/deceit) aligns with dharma, especially on the eve of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra anxiously inquires about the psychological impact of a charioteer’s loud, possibly deceptive clamor—asking whether those aligned with Arjuna (Savyasācin) were frightened or unsettled by it, reflecting his concern over shifting morale and advantage in the escalating conflict.