Shloka 12

Devanagari script

ते पुनः संन्यवर्तन्त कृत्वा संशप्तकान्‌ मिथ: । परां युद्धे मतिं क्रूरां तव पुत्रस्य शासनात्‌

Transliteration

te punaḥ saṁnyavartanta kṛtvā saṁśaptakān mithaḥ | parāṁ yuddhe matiṁ krūrāṁ tava putrasya śāsanāt ||

Translation

三阇耶说道：随后那些武士又彼此立誓，结为“誓死军”（萨摩誓缚迦），再度回转。奉你儿子之命，他们在战斗中定下残酷的决意，纵然先前已被击退，仍重返战场。

Word by Word

• ते: they (those)
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पुनः: again
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः

• संन्यवर्तन्त: returned / turned back
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + नि + √वृत्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural, Ātmanepada

• कृत्वा: having made / having done
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ
• Form: Absolutive (Gerund), Parasmaipada (base)

• संशप्तकान्: the Saṁśaptakas (sworn warriors)
• संशप्तकान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशप्तक
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• मिथः: mutually / with one another
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मिथः

• पराम्: supreme / intense
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• युद्धे: in battle
• युद्धे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• मतिम्: resolve / intention
• मतिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मति
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• क्रूराम्: cruel / fierce
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रूर
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• तव: of you / your
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Singular

• पुत्रस्य: of (your) son
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• शासनात्: from the command / due to the order
• शासनात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शासन
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by 'tava')
• Duryodhana (implied by 'your son')
• Saṁśaptakas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how vows and obedience to authority can intensify violence: under a leader’s command, warriors may harden their resolve into cruelty, raising ethical tension between duty in war and the restraint expected by dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

After being checked or driven back, the warriors regroup, renew their mutual vow as the Saṁśaptakas, and return to the fight with an extreme, ruthless determination—explicitly prompted by the command of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son (Duryodhana).