Shloka 19

Sātyaki-praveśaḥ and Duryodhana-saṃnipātaḥ

Sātyaki’s passage and Duryodhana’s mass engagement

Devanagari script

तयोज्यातलनिर्घोष: शुश्रुवे युद्धशौण्डयो:

Transliteration

tayor jyātala-nirghoṣaḥ śuśruve yuddha-śauṇḍayoḥ

Translation

قال سانجيا: سُمِعَ طنينُ أوتارِ قوسيْ هذين المحاربين المجرَّبين—صوتٌ حادٌّ رنّانٌ مشؤوم، يُنذر باستعدادهما للقاءٍ مباشرٍ في القتال.

Word by Word

• तयोः: of those two
• तयोः: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: common, genitive, dual

• ज्यातलनिर्घोषः: the sound caused by the bowstring (twang/roar)
• ज्यातलनिर्घोषः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्यातलनिर्घोष
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• शुश्रुवे: was heard
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु
• Form: perfect (liṭ), 3rd, singular, ātmanepada

• युद्धशौण्डयोः: of the two battle-experts/warriors
• युद्धशौण्डयोः: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्धशौण्ड
• Form: masculine, genitive, dual

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• two unnamed warriors (tayor)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the psychological and ethical gravity of war: before weapons strike bodies, the very sound of preparation (the bowstring’s twang) announces intent, resolve, and the irreversible step toward violence—inviting reflection on responsibility in choosing battle.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the twanging, resonant sound of the bowstrings of two formidable combatants is heard, indicating that a direct confrontation between them is about to begin.