Shloka 17

अध्याय १५९ — रात्रौ श्रमविरामः

Night Exhaustion and Brief Pause in Battle

Devanagari script

नागदत्तो दृढरथो महाबाहुरयोभुज:

Transliteration

Nāgadatto Dṛḍharatho mahābāhur ayobhujaḥ

Translation

قال سانجيا: «ناغادَتّا ودْرِدهَرَثا—محاربان عظيمَا الساعدين، قوّتُهما كقوّة الحديد—تقدّما إلى الأمام.»

Word by Word

नागदत्तःNāgadatta (name; ‘given by a serpent/elephant’)

दृढरथःDṛḍharatha (name; ‘firm-chariot/steadfast in chariot’)

महाबाहुःmighty-armed

अयोभुजःiron-armed / having arms like iron

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nāgadatta

Dṛḍharatha

Sañjaya

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how epic warfare is driven by individual prowess and reputation; it invites reflection on the ethical ambiguity of strength—virtue as valor can become morally fraught when harnessed for mass violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is listing notable warriors present/engaged in the battle, identifying Nāgadatta and Dṛḍharatha as exceptionally powerful fighters, thereby intensifying the sense of the conflict’s scale and danger.