Mahabharata 7.116.30 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 116, Shloka 30

Śaineya’s Breakthrough and Reunion with Arjuna (शैनेयस्य समागमः)

Devanagari script

सर्वशस्त्रातिगौ सेनां प्रविष्टी रथिसत्तमौ । दृष्टवा कां वै धृतिं युद्धे प्रत्यपद्यन्त मामका:

Transliteration

sarvaśastrātigau senāṃ praviṣṭī rathisattamau | dṛṣṭvā kāṃ vai dhṛtiṃ yuddhe pratyapadyanta māmakāḥ ||

Translation

Sinabi ni Sañjaya: “Nang ang dalawang pinakadakilang mandirigmang nakasakay sa karwahe—sina Sātyaki at Arjuna, na ang kahusayan ay lampas sa abot ng lahat ng sandata—ay pumasok sa aking hukbo, anong katatagan ang naipamalas ng aming panig sa larangan nang sila’y makita?”

Word by Word

• सर्वशस्त्रातिगौ: having surpassed all weapons (i.e., beyond the reach of all weapons)
• सर्वशस्त्रातिगौ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व-शस्त्र-अतिग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• सेनाम्: army
• सेनाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• प्रविष्टौ: having entered
• प्रविष्टौ: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-विश् (धातु) / प्रविष्ट (कृदन्त)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• रथिसत्तमौ: the best of chariot-warriors
• रथिसत्तमौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथि-सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: Gerund (Absolutive)

• कथम्: how?
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)

• धृतिम्: steadfastness, courage
• धृतिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• युद्धे: in battle
• युद्धे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• प्रत्यपद्यन्त: they attained/assumed (took to)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-आ-√पद् (धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural

• मामकाः: my people (my sons/party)
• मामकाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मामक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Sātyaki
• Arjuna
• Kauravas (māmakāḥ)
• army (senā)
• weapons (śastra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights dhṛti—steadfast composure under threat—as a decisive battlefield virtue. Even when confronted by superior warriors, the ethical demand of kṣatriya-dharma is to hold one’s ground with courage and clarity rather than collapse into fear.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Sātyaki and Arjuna, famed as supreme chariot-warriors, have penetrated the Kaurava formation. He then asks (implicitly for Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s understanding) how the Kaurava fighters responded—what resolve or courage they managed to muster upon seeing these two.