Previous
Abhimanyu
Samjaya is the narrator for many of the scenes from the Kurukshetra battle, and he describes what happened each day to his blind king, Dhritarashtra. He constantly reminds Dhritarashtra that the Kaurava losses on the battlefield are not just bad luck but a direct result of Dhritarashtra’s failure to rein in Duryodhana. Samjaya’s ability to see practically everything during the battle reflects his clear ability to see what’s just and moral, and it makes him the opposite of Dhritarashtra, whose literal blindness to the events can also leave him deluded.
Samjaya Quotes in Mahabharata
The Mahabharata quotes below are all either spoken by Samjaya or refer to Samjaya. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 7. Drona Quotes
The hero who had laid waste the entire Kuru army, like an elephant in a lotus pond, now lay resplendent in death, like a wild elephant slain by hunters.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
And he performed this last find and astonishing foe-slaying feat: at the time he was pierced in the heart by the Spear, he appeared, O king, huge as a cloud, or a mountain; then that Rakshasa prince fell headlong to earth from on high, body torn, limbs stilled, lifeless and speechless, but gigantic in form. Bhima’s son Ghatotkaca, doer of fearful deeds, fell with the terrifying, fearful form he had assumed; and thus even in death he smashed on whole section of your army, bringing terror to the Kauravas.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8. Karna Quotes
‘Karna, if you challenge Arjuna to battle, you are a hare challenging a mighty elephant with tusks like plough-shafts, its temporal glands bursting with rut. If you want to fight the son of Kunti, you are a silly child poking with a stick a deadly poisonous king cobra in its hole, its hood expanded.’
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
The glorious standard of Karna the mighty chariot-fighter was now destroyed by the noble wearer of the diadem with a razor-edged, gold-shafted arrow that he shot with the greatest of care; and with the fall of that standard there fell too the Kurus’ fame and dharma, and their hopes of victory, sir, and all that they held dear, and their very hearts.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 9. Salya Quotes
Bhima of fearful deeds brought down that club with an impact like that of a thunderbolt, and it smashed Duryodhana’s two handsome thighs.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Seeing these most wonderful happenings, and the honour paid to Duryodhana, the Pandavas felt ashamed; they grieved mightily to hear it said that Bhishma, Drona, Karna, and Buriśravas had been killed unfairly. But Krishna, seeing them anxious and downcast, proclaimed in a voice sounding like thunder or drums, ‘Duryodhana here with his swift weapons, and those other valiant chariot-fighters, could not have been slain by you on the battlefield in a fair fight. That is why I devised these stratagems, lords of men—otherwise the victory of the Pandavas could never have happened.’
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 10. The Night-Raid Quotes
Drona’s son Aśvatthaman watched that owl carry out its guileful attack at night. The bird’s behaviour filled him with new resolve, and he said to himself, ‘This bird has given me good advice in warfare!’
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
‘Here is the jewel, and here am I.’
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Mahabharata LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Samjaya Character Timeline in Mahabharata
The timeline below shows where the character Samjaya appears in Mahabharata. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 5. Perseverance
SAMJAYA’S MISSION. Meanwhile at the Kauravas, Dhritarashtra gives instructions to his aide, Samjaya. Dhritarashtra disagrees with Duryodhana’s warlike attitude, and so he wants Samjaya to go to the...
(full context)
WAKEFULNESS. Dhritarashtra summons Vidura, saying he’s been disturbed ever since Samjaya’s visit to the Pauravas. Vidura tells Dhritarashtra that there are many different types of wisdom...
(full context)
WAR AND PEACE. At dawn, the Kauravas all assemble in a hall. Samjaya enters with a message from Arjuna: if Duryodhana doesn’t relinquish Yudhishthira’s kingdom, the Pandavas are...
(full context)
...they want to fight anyway. After everyone leaves, Dhritarashtra privately asks for a prediction from Samjaya, who says that he believes the winner will be whoever has Krishna on their side,...
(full context)
PERSUADING KARNA. Samjaya was riding with Krishna and Karna, and he reports back to Dhritarashtra what they discussed....
(full context)
...armies. THE INSTALLATION OF BHISHMA. Duryodhana puts Bhishma in charge of his forces. Dhritarashtra asks Samjaya to give him an update on Duryodhana’s battle plans.
(full context)
ULUKA’S MISSION. Samjaya begins telling Dhritarashtra about battle preparations. Uluka, son of Śakuni, delivers an inflammatory message to...
(full context)
Chapter 6. Bhishma
...see the battle. Dhritarashtra says he has no desire to see kin killing kin. Instead, Samjaya will tell him about it.
(full context)
THE EARTH. Dhritarashtra asks Samjaya to tell him more about the earth and the heavens. THE SERMON OF THE BLESSED...
(full context)
In Samjaya’s recount of the battle, Bhishma urged all his followers that it was dharma to fight...
(full context)
...a self-contained scripture as well as a portion of the larger Mahabharata narrative. In it, Samjaya tells Dhritarashtra about the moment when the two armies finally clash. As battle begins, Arjuna...
(full context)
THE KILLING OF BHISHMA. Samjaya continues narrating battle events to Dhritarashtra. In the story, Yudhishthira alarms his allies by leaving...
(full context)
...once again ends with an advantage to the Pandavas. Dhritarashtra interrupts the story to ask Samjaya why things are going so poorly, and Samjaya simply says it was unwise for Dhritarashtra...
(full context)
...similarly destructive. Dhritarashtra wonders why his strong, capable army is failing to make better progress. Samjaya says yet again that it’s Dhritarashtra’s fault for starting the war and that it all...
(full context)
Samjaya describes to Dhritarashtra what happened on the battlefield, including the fierce rivalry between Drona and...
(full context)
Chapter 7. Drona
THE INSTALLATION OF DRONA. Samjaya narrates to Dhritarashtra how, without Bhishma, the Kauravas struggled against the Pandavas in battle on...
(full context)
After hearing of Drona’s death, Dhritarashtra is full of grief. He asks Samjaya to go back and tell him the story of Drona’s death in more detail, which...
(full context)
THE KILLING OF THE SWORN WARRIORS. In Samjaya’s recounting of the battle, Drona makes plans with Duryodhana to separate the invincible Arjuna from...
(full context)
...the day, Drona manages to slay Arjuna’s son, Abhimanyu. Dhritarashtra interrupts the story to ask Samjaya to tell this part in more detail, which he does.
(full context)
In Samjaya’s more detailed recounting of events, all the leaders of both armies clash on the field...
(full context)
...charioteer. Duryodhana and Drona regroup, devoting all the Kaurava resources to protecting Jayadratha. Dhritarashtra interrupts Samjaya’s story to ask more about Bhima and Karna’s battle, so Samjaya tells it in more...
(full context)
In Samjaya’s retelling, Bhima goes after Karna and manages to kill five of Dhritarashtra’s 100 sons. Karna...
(full context)
THE WEAPON OF NARAYANA. Dhritarashtra asks Samjaya to tell more about when Aśvatthaman heard about Drona’s death, and so Samjaya tells the...
(full context)
Chapter 8. Karna
...dies at the hand of Arjuna. Dhritarashtra faints in dismay at this news, then asks Samjaya to tell him the story in more detail, which he does.
(full context)
Samjaya begins his new retelling of the events. After the death of Drona, Duryodhana rallies the...
(full context)
Chapter 9. Salya
...three Kauravas survive (Kripa, Kritarvarma and Aśvatthaman). Dhritarashtra is devastated by this report and asks Samjaya to tell him the whole story.
(full context)
Samjaya starts narrating again. Some of Duryodhana’s allies believe it is dharma for him to keep...
(full context)
Chapter 10. The Night-Raid
THE NIGHT-RAID. Samjaya continues telling the story of the war to Dhritarashtra. That night, after Duryodhana’s defeat, Aśvatthaman...
(full context)
Dhritarashtra asks Samjaya why Aśvatthaman didn’t just do this earlier. Samjaya explains that the timing was important, and...
(full context)
THE REED WEAPON. With Samjaya no longer the narrator of the story, Vaiśampayana continues telling the story of the war...
(full context)
Chapter 15. The Hermitage
...Gandhari can go retire into the woods and lead a life of asceticism (with Vidura, Samjaya, and a couple others). Yudhishthira is upset, believing Dhritarashtra is unhappy about something. He tries...
(full context)
...the process they became so weak that, when a fire ripped through the forest, only Samjaya was strong enough to outrun it—the others perished in the fire. Narada tells Yudhishthira not...
(full context)
