Shloka 176

Adhyāya 195 — Arjuna’s Capability and Restraint Regarding Divyāstras

Udyoga Parva

Devanagari script

अन्वयातां तदा मध्ये वासुदेवधनंजयौ । बीचके दलमें राजाने विराट

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca | anvayātāṁ tadā madhye vāsudeva-dhanañjayau | bīcake dala-madhye rājānaṁ virāṭaṁ jayatsenaṁ tathā pāñcāla-deśīyaṁ mahā-rathiṁ yudhāmanyuṁ ca uttamaujasaṁ ca nyadhāt | gadā-dhanur-dharau etau vīrau mahā-parākramau manasvinau ca | tadā teṣāṁ sarveṣāṁ madhya-bhāge bhagavān śrīkṛṣṇaḥ arjunaś ca senāyāḥ pṛṣṭhataḥ pṛṣṭhataḥ yayatuḥ |

Translation

毗湿摩波耶那说道：其时，婆苏提婆（奎师那）与檀那阇耶（阿周那）在阵列中部随行。军阵中央安置了毗罗吒王、阇耶特塞那，以及般遮罗的诸位大车战士——优陀摩纽与乌塔摩乌阇。那两位英雄手执钉锤与弓，勇力绝伦，意志坚定。就在那时，在众人正中，世尊室利·奎师那与阿周那随军而行，行于大军之后。

Word by Word

• अन्वयाताम्: let the two follow / let them proceed after
• अन्वयाताम्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु-इ (धातु: इ)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, प्रथम, द्विवचन

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य
• Form: नपुंसक, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• वासुदेव: Vasudeva (Krishna)
• वासुदेव: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासुदेव
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• धनंजयौ: the two Dhananjayas (i.e., Arjuna) / (here: the pair: Vasudeva and Dhananjaya)
• धनंजयौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनंजय
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन

• वासुदेवधनंजयौ: Vasudeva and Dhananjaya (Krishna and Arjuna)
• वासुदेवधनंजयौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासुदेव + धनंजय
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa)
• Dhanañjaya (Arjuna)
• Virāṭa
• Jayatsena
• Pāñcāla
• Yudhāmanyu
• Uttamaujas
• gadā (mace)
• dhanus (bow)
• senā (army)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in a war narrative, the verse highlights disciplined order and responsible leadership: key protectors and commanders are placed centrally, while Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna move in a controlled position relative to the army, suggesting strategy guided by steadiness and dharmic restraint rather than chaos.

What is happening in the narrative?

The allied forces are being arranged in formation. Virāṭa, Jayatsena, and the Pāñcāla champions Yudhāmanyu and Uttamaujas are stationed in the centre; Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva) and Arjuna (Dhanañjaya) proceed amid them, moving behind the army as the host advances.