Shloka 253

Gadāyuddhe Kṛṣṇopadeśaḥ (Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel in the Mace-Duel) — Śalya-parva 57

Devanagari script

सव्यं तु मण्डलं तत्र भीमसेनो< भ्यवर्तत । राजन! दोनों ही हाथमें गदा लेकर मण्डलाकार युद्धस्थलमें खड़े थे। उनमेंसे बलवान्‌ दुर्योधन दक्षिण मण्डलमें खड़ा था और भीमसेन बायें मण्डलमें

Transliteration

savyaṃ tu maṇḍalaṃ tatra bhīmaseno 'bhyavartata | rājan!

Translation

ณ ที่นั้น ภีมเสนเคลื่อนไปสู่วงซ้ายของลานประลอง โอ้พระราชา นักรบทั้งสองยืนมั่นในสนามรูปวงกลม ต่างกำกุมคทาไว้ในมือ—ทุรโยธน์ผู้มีกำลังกายเหนือกว่าอยู่ในวงขวา ส่วนภีมอยู่ในวงซ้าย

Word by Word

• सव्यम्: left (side)
• सव्यम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सव्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• मण्डलम्: circle/orbit; circular formation
• मण्डलम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मण्डल
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र

• भीमसेनः: Bhimasena
• भीमसेनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीमसेन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अभ्यवर्तत: moved/turned about; took position (circled)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), Third, Singular, Ātmanepada

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhīmasena (Bhīma)
• Duryodhana
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• maṇḍala (circular fighting arena)
• gadā (mace)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the formal, rule-bound nature of single combat in the epic: even amid catastrophic war, the duel is framed with ordered space (the maṇḍala) and clear positioning, reflecting the kṣatriya ideal of facing one’s rival directly within agreed conventions.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīma takes the left-side position in the circular arena for the mace-fight, while Duryodhana stands on the right; both are poised with maces, marking the tense setup of their climactic duel.