Shloka 23

कृष्णोपदेशः, अर्जुनस्य क्षमा-याचनम्, कर्णवध-अनुज्ञा

Krishna’s Counsel, Arjuna’s Apology, and Authorization for Karṇa’s Slaying

Devanagari script

दृष्टवा मम महाराज तौ समेतौ महारथौ

Transliteration

dṛṣṭvā mama mahārāja tau sametau mahārathau

Translation

اے مہاراج، اُن دونوں مہارتھیوں کو آمنے سامنے آتے دیکھ کر…

Word by Word

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (√दृश्) → दृष्ट (क्त) + त्वा
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), कर्तरि (active sense)

• मम: of me / my
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• महाराज: O great king
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाराज (महा + राजन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• तौ: those two (them)
• तौ: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, द्विवचन

• समेतौ: come together / assembled
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + इ (√इ) → समेत (क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, द्विवचन

• महारथौ: two great chariot-warriors
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारथ (महा + रथ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, द्विवचन

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by 'mahārāja')
• two mahārathas (unspecified in this half-verse)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The line highlights the epic’s ethical frame of war: Sañjaya reports events to the king with sobriety, emphasizing the gravity when two top-tier warriors meet. It implicitly points to kṣatriya-dharma—duty-bound combat—while reminding the listener that such encounters carry immense consequences for the wider moral and political order.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya addresses Dhṛtarāṣṭra and begins describing a pivotal moment on the battlefield: two great chariot-warriors have come face to face, signaling the start or intensification of a major duel. The verse functions as a narrative hinge, preparing the listener for the clash that follows.