Shloka 17

धृतराष्ट्रस्य मूर्च्छा तथा द्रोणविषयकप्रश्नाः

Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Fainting and Questions Concerning Droṇa

Devanagari script

दृढा: संग्राममध्येषु कच्चिदासन्नविह्नला: । करिणां बूंहतां युद्धे शड्खदुन्दुभिनि:स्वनै:

Transliteration

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | dṛḍhāḥ saṅgrāmamadhyeṣu kaccid āsann avihvalāḥ | kariṇāṁ bṛṁhatāṁ yuddhe śaṅkhadundubhinisvanaiḥ ||

Translation

持国王说道：“它们在鏖战之中可曾坚稳不摇？当战场喧嚣四起——巨象长鸣，海螺与战鼓轰然回荡——它们可曾不为所惊？”

Word by Word

• दृढाः: firm, steadfast
• दृढाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृढ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• संग्राम-मध्येषु: in the midst of battles
• संग्राम-मध्येषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संग्राम-मध्य
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Plural

• कच्चित्: whether?, surely?
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कच्चित्

• आसन्: were
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Imperfect, 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• विह्वलाः: confused, shaken
• विह्वलाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विह्वल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• करिणाम्: of elephants
• Type: Noun
• Root: करिन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• बृंहताम्: of huge (ones)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बृहत्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

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

• शङ्ख-दुन्दुभि-निःस्वनैः: by the sounds of conches and kettle-drums
• शङ्ख-दुन्दुभि-निःस्वनैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्ख-दुन्दुभि-निःस्वन
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• elephants (kariṇaḥ)
• conches (śaṅkhāḥ)
• kettledrums/war-drums (dundubhayaḥ)
• battlefield (saṅgrāma/yuddha)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical-psychological dimension of warfare: true steadiness is not merely physical strength but the capacity to remain unconfused and resolute amid fear-inducing chaos—noise, massed elephants, and the sensory overwhelm of battle.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra, unable to see the battlefield, anxiously questions the reporter (Sañjaya in context) about whether the warriors remained firm and unshaken when the battle’s terrifying sounds—elephants’ trumpeting and the blare of conches and drums—rose around them.