Shloka 12

अभिमन्यु–अलम्बुसयुद्धम् / The Duel of Abhimanyu and Alambusa

with Arjuna’s approach to Bhīṣma

Devanagari script

तदाचार्यवच: श्रुत्वा सौमदत्तिपुरोगमा:

Transliteration

tadācāryavacaḥ śrutvā saumadattipurogamāḥ

Translation

桑阇耶说：听罢师长之言，众武士——以苏摩达多之子为前导——依令而动，严守军纪。

Word by Word

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आचार्यवचः: the teacher's words
• आचार्यवचः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आचार्यवचस्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• सौमदत्तिपुरोगमाः: those led by the son of Somadatta
• सौमदत्तिपुरोगमाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सौमदत्तिपुरोगम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Ācārya (the preceptor/commander)
• Saumadatti (son of Somadatta; commonly Bhūriśravas)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical and practical importance of heeding a qualified leader’s instruction—especially in a collective endeavor like war—where disciplined listening and coordinated response are treated as aspects of one’s duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that, after the preceptor (ācārya) speaks, the warriors listen and move forward under the lead of Saumadatti, indicating the army’s readiness to act on the commander’s directive.