Shloka 20

Pāṇḍya-vadha-anantaram Arjunasya Pravṛttiḥ

Arjuna’s Response and the Renewed Battle

Devanagari script

अथार्जुनं प्राह दशाहनाथ: प्रमाद्यसे कि जहि योधमेतम्‌ । कुर्यद्धि दोष समुपेक्षितो 5यं कष्टो भवेद्‌ व्याधिरिवाक्रियावान्‌

Transliteration

athārjunaṃ prāha daśāhanāthaḥ pramādyase ki jahi yodham etam | kuryād dhi doṣa sam-upekṣito ’yaṃ kaṣṭo bhaved vyādhir ivākriyāvān ||

Translation

Pagkaraan, sinabi ng panginoon ng sampung araw (Kṛṣṇa) kay Arjuna: “Bakit ka nagpapabaya? Pabagsakin mo ang mandirigmang ito! Kapag pinabayaan ang pagkukulang na ito, magiging mabigat—gaya ng sakit na lumalala kapag hindi ginagamot.”

Word by Word

अथthen

अर्जुनम्Arjuna (as object addressed/spoken to)

प्राहsaid

दशाहनाथःthe lord of the ten days (i.e., the ten-day commander)

प्रमाद्यसेyou are negligent / you are careless

किम्why?

जहिkill! / strike down!

योधम्the warrior

एतम्this

कुर्यात्would become / would be

हिindeed / for

दोषःa fault

समुपेक्षितःneglected / overlooked

अयम्this

कष्टःsevere / hard to cure

भवेत्would become

व्याधिःa disease

इवlike

अक्रियावान्inactive / not taking action

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Arjuna

Daśāhanātha (Bhīṣma)

a warrior (yodha)

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?

Negligence in one’s duty, if tolerated, grows into a serious harm—just as an untreated illness worsens. The verse urges timely, decisive action guided by responsibility.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that the ‘lord of the ten days’ (Bhīṣma) addresses Arjuna, rebuking him for momentary carelessness and urging him to strike down the opposing warrior before the lapse becomes dangerous.