Shloka 2

शल्यपर्वणि प्रथमाध्यायः — Karṇa-vadha-anantaraṃ Śalya-niyogaḥ, Saṃjayasya Dhṛtarāṣṭra-nivedanam

Devanagari script

उदीर्यमाणं च बलं॑ दृष्टवा राजा सुयोधन: । पाण्डवै: प्राप्तकालं च किं प्रापद्यत कौरव:,पाण्डवोंका बल बढ़ता देखकर कुरुवंशी राजा दुर्योधनने उनके साथ कौन-सा समयोचित बर्ताव करनेका निश्चय किया?

Transliteration

udīryamāṇaṃ ca balaṃ dṛṣṭvā rājā suyodhanaḥ | pāṇḍavaiḥ prāptakālaṃ ca kiṃ prāpadyata kauravaḥ ||

Translation

جنمیجیہ نے پوچھا—پانڈوؤں کی قوت بڑھتی دیکھ کر کورو راجا سُیودھن (دریودھن) نے وقت کے مطابق کون سا قدم اٹھانے کا فیصلہ کیا؟

Word by Word

उदीर्यमाणम्being raised/increasing

चand

बलम्army/strength

दृष्ट्वाhaving seen

राजाthe king

सुयोधनःSuyodhana (Duryodhana)

पाण्डवैःby/with the Pandavas

प्राप्तकालम्the timely/appropriate (course of action)

चand

किम्what

प्रापद्यतresorted to/decided upon

कौरवःthe Kaurava (Duryodhana)

Speaker

जनमेजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Janamejaya

Suyodhana (Duryodhana)

Pāṇḍavas

Kaurava(s)

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 foregrounds kāla (timeliness) in political and ethical decision-making: when circumstances shift, a ruler’s response reveals character—whether guided by dharma and prudence or by fear, pride, and attachment to power.

What is happening in the narrative?

Janamejaya asks the narrator to explain Duryodhana’s next move after he observes the Pāṇḍavas gaining strength, setting up an account of the Kaurava leader’s strategic choices at a critical stage of the war.