Shloka 24

उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय २५: संजयदूतवाक्यम्

Sañjaya’s Envoy-Speech on Peace

Devanagari script

तेनानुबन्ध॑ मन्यते धारतराष्ट्र: शक्यं हर्तु पाण्डवानां ममत्वम्‌ | किरीटिना तालमात्रायुधेन तद्वेदिना संयुगं तत्र गत्वा,राज्य आदिपर जो पाण्डवोंका ममत्व है, उसे हर लेना क्या दुर्योधन सरल समझता है? इसके लिये उसे उन किरीटथारी अर्जुनके साथ युद्धभूमिमें उतरना पड़ेगा, जो चार हाथ लंबा धनुष धारण करते हैं और धरनुर्वेदके प्रकाण्ड विद्वान्‌ हैं

Transliteration

tenānubandhaṁ manyate dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ śakyaṁ hartuṁ pāṇḍavānāṁ mamatvam | kirīṭinā tālamātrāyudhena tadvedinā saṁyugaṁ tatra gatvā ||

Translation

三阇耶说：“噢，持国王啊，他以为自己能斩断般度族对王国的正当权利与归属之念。然而若要如此，他必须踏上战场，去面对那戴冠的阿周那——执持以‘塔拉’为度的长弓，精通弓术之学的宗师。以为此等权利可‘轻易’夺取，正是道义上的昏盲；因为这意味着要与强健、娴熟且理直气壮之人开战。”

Word by Word

तेनby that; therefore

अनुबन्धम्consequence; connection; implication

मन्यतेthinks; considers

धार्तराष्ट्रःDhṛtarāṣṭra’s son (Duryodhana)

शक्यम्possible; doable

हर्तुम्to take away; to seize

पाण्डवानाम्of the Pāṇḍavas

ममत्वम्sense of ownership; claim (to the kingdom)

किरीटिनाby/with the diadem-wearer (Arjuna)

तालमात्रायुधेनwith a weapon (bow) of the measure of a tāla (very long)

तद्वेदिनाwith the knower of that (dhanurveda/archery-science)

संयुगम्battle; combat

तत्रthere; in that place

गत्वाhaving gone

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Pāṇḍavas

Arjuna (Kirīṭin)

Dhanurveda

battlefield (saṁyuga)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical delusion of thinking that a rightful claim (pāṇḍavānāṁ mamatvam) can be ‘taken away’ by force. Such a plan inevitably leads to war against capable and justified opponents, revealing how greed and pride distort judgment and invite destructive consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya addresses Dhṛtarāṣṭra, pointing out that the attempt to dispossess the Pāṇḍavas is not simple: it requires confronting Arjuna, famed as Kirīṭin and as a master of Dhanurveda, on the battlefield—implying the grave risk and inevitability of conflict.