Shloka 24

अध्याय ८८ — घटोत्कच-दुर्योधनयुद्धवर्णनम्

Ghaṭotkaca–Duryodhana Engagement

Devanagari script

दृष्टवा हि भीष्म॑ तमनन्तवीर्य भग्नं च सैन्यं द्रवमाणमेवम्‌ । भीतो<सि नून॑ द्रुपदस्य पुत्र तथा हि ते मुखवर्णो<प्रहृष्ट:

Transliteration

dṛṣṭvā hi bhīṣmaṃ tam anantavīryaṃ bhagnaṃ ca sainyaṃ dravamāṇam evam | bhīto 'si nūnaṃ drupadasya putra tathā hi te mukhavarṇo 'prahṛṣṭaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya nói: “Thấy Bhīṣma—bậc có uy lực vô biên—và thấy quân đội tan vỡ, tháo chạy như thế này, hỡi con trai Drupada, hẳn ngươi đã sợ hãi; bởi sắc mặt ngươi rõ ràng không rạng ngời tự tin.”

Word by Word

• {'dṛṣṭvā': 'having seen', 'hi': 'indeed, for', 'bhīṣmam': 'Bhīṣma (the Kuru grandsire and commander)', 'tam': 'that (him)', 'anantavīryam': 'of limitless valor/might', 'bhagnam': 'broken, routed, shattered', 'ca': 'and', 'sainyam': 'army', 'dravamāṇam': 'running away, fleeing', 'evam': 'thus, in this way', 'bhītaḥ asi': 'you are afraid', 'nūnam': 'surely, certainly', 'drupadasya putra': 'son of Drupada (Dṛṣṭadyumna)', 'tathā hi': 'for indeed, just so', 'te': 'your', 'mukhavarṇaḥ': 'facial complexion/color

• expression', 'aprahṛṣṭaḥ': 'not delighted

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhīṣma
• Drupada
• Dṛṣṭadyumna
• army (sainya)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how inner states—fear, confidence, resolve—manifest outwardly, and how leaders read such signs in war. Ethically, it underscores the kṣatriya expectation of steadiness under pressure and the moral weight of maintaining courage when one’s forces falter.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya addresses Drupada’s son Dṛṣṭadyumna, pointing out that Bhīṣma’s overwhelming prowess and the sight of the army breaking and fleeing have shaken him. Sañjaya infers Dṛṣṭadyumna’s fear from his visibly altered, joyless facial expression.