Mahabharata 7.185.4 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 185, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

धृतराष्ट्र बोले--तात संजय! कर्ण

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | saṅgrāmād vinivṛttānāṁ sarveṣāṁ no viśāmpate | rātrau kurukulaśreṣṭha mantro 'yaṁ samajāyata |

Translation

سنجے نے کہا— ‘اے رعایا کے مالک، اے کورو خاندان کے شریشٹھ! ہر روز جنگ سے لوٹ کر رات کے وقت ہم سب کے درمیان یہی مشورہ اٹھتا تھا: “کرن! کل صبح ہوتے ہی شری کرشن یا فالگُن (ارجن) پر وہ ناقابلِ تصور شَکتی چلا دینا۔”’

Word by Word

• संजय: O Sañjaya
• Type: Noun
• Root: संजय
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• संग्रामात्: from battle
• संग्रामात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संग्राम
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• विनिवृत्तानाम्: of those who had returned
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विनिवृत्त
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• नः: of us / our
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: 1st, Genitive, Plural

• विशाम्: of the people (subjects)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Plural

• पते: O lord
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• रात्रौ: at night
• रात्रौ: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• कुरुकुलश्रेष्ठ: O best of the Kuru clan
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरुकुल-श्रेष्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• मन्त्रः: counsel / plan
• मन्त्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अयम्: this
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• समजायत: arose / came about
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन्
• Form: Imperfect, 3rd, Singular, Atmanepada

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Kuru dynasty (Kurukula)
• Karna
• Krishna
• Arjuna
• the śakti weapon (missile)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in war, choices about when and on whom to deploy an irresistible weapon carry moral weight: strategy driven by fear and expediency can deepen injustice, while hesitation or misdirected use of power can decisively shape outcomes.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, after returning from each day’s fighting, the Kaurava side repeatedly formed the same plan at night—urging Karna to use his single-use śakti missile at dawn against Krishna or Arjuna.