Shloka 10

रणभूमिवर्णनम् — Devāsuropama-yuddha and the ‘River’ Metaphor of the Battlefield

Devanagari script

(अद्याचार्यसुतो द्रौणि्नैंको युध्येत शत्रुभि: ।) अन्योन्यं परिरक्षद्धिय्योद्धव्यं सहितैश्न ह । एवं ते समयं कृत्वा सर्वे तत्र महारथा:

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | (adyācāryasuto drauṇir naiko yudhyeta śatrubhiḥ |) anyonyaṃ parirakṣadbhir yoddhavyaṃ sahitaiś ca na ha | evaṃ te samayaṃ kṛtvā sarve tatra mahārathāḥ ||

Translation

พึงรบพร้อมกันโดยคุ้มครองกันและกัน ครั้นทำข้อตกลงดังนี้แล้ว มหารถีทั้งหลาย ณ ที่นั้นก็ผูกพันตนไว้กับแผนนั้น

Word by Word

अद्यtoday

आचार्यसुतःthe teacher's son (Drona's son)

द्रौणिःDrauni (Ashvatthaman)

नnot

एकःalone

युध्येतshould fight

शत्रुभिःwith enemies

अन्योन्यम्each other, mutually

परिरक्षत्protect (you all) completely

हिindeed

योद्धव्यम्must be fought / one must fight

सहितैःtogether, in company (with allies)

नnot

हindeed (emphatic particle)

एवम्thus

तेthey / those (you all)

समयम्agreement, compact

कृत्वाhaving made

सर्वेall

तत्रthere

महारथाःgreat chariot-warriors

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Drauṇi (Aśvatthāman)

Droṇa

mahārathāḥ (the assembled great warriors)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes collective responsibility in battle: warriors should not let a key fighter stand isolated, but should coordinate, protect one another, and act as a unified force—an ethical and strategic ideal of solidarity among allies.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that the Kaurava great warriors make a pact for the day’s fighting: Drauṇi (Aśvatthāman) is not to engage the enemy alone; instead, they will fight together while mutually guarding one another.