Shloka 32

Adhyāya 21 — Duryodhanasya bāṇavarṣaḥ

Duryodhana’s Arrow-Storm and the Dust-Obscured Engagements

Devanagari script

दुर्योधनस्तु सम्प्रेक्ष्य भग्नं स्वबलमन्तिकात्‌

Transliteration

duryodhanas tu samprekṣya bhagnaṃ svabalam antikāt

Translation

Sañjaya nói: Thấy từ gần rằng quân mình đã tan vỡ, Duryodhana đối diện sự thật lạnh lùng về bước ngoặt của chiến cuộc—nơi kiêu hãnh và tham vọng chạm vào hậu quả của adharma và sự trị vì sai lạc.

Word by Word

• दुर्योधनः: Duryodhana
• दुर्योधनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्योधन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• सम्प्रेक्ष्य: having seen/observed
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + प्रेक्ष्
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund)

• भग्नम्: broken, routed
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भग्न
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• स्व: his own
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• बलम्: army/force
• बलम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अन्तिकात्: from nearby, from close at hand
• अन्तिकात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तिक
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Duryodhana
• Sañjaya
• Kaurava army (svabala)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Power and pride that ignore dharma eventually face visible consequences; a ruler must read reality clearly and accept responsibility for the outcomes of unjust choices.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Duryodhana, observing at close range, sees his own forces broken—marking a decisive deterioration of the Kaurava position in the war.