Shloka 4763

Adhyāya 18 — Sequential Duels and Formation Pressure

Ulūka–Yuyutsu; Śakuni–Sutasoma; Kṛpa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna; Kṛtavarmā–Śikhaṇḍin

Devanagari script

अश्वास्तरपरिस्तोमान्‌ राड़कवान्‌ पतितान्‌ भुवि । 'घुड़सवारोंकी ध्वजाओंके अग्रभागमें हाथियोंके सुनहरे कंबल उलझ गये हैं। घोड़ोंकी पीठपर बिछाये जानेवाले विचित्र

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

aśvāstara-paristomān rāḍakavān patitān bhuvi |

Translation

قال سنجيا: «انظروا—على الأرض ترقد لُجُمُ الخيل والبغال وزينتها الفاخرة، والأغطية البهيّة والحُليّ التي كانت تزيّنها. وفي فوضى القتال تشابكت رؤوس الرايات المتباهية والكسوات الغالية ثم طُرحت أرضًا، لتُريكم كم سريعًا ما تنهار زينة الحرب إلى خراب حين تطغى العُنف على النظام.»

Word by Word

• अश्वास्तरपरिस्तोमान्: horse-coverings/horse-trappings (in heaps/arrays)
• अश्वास्तरपरिस्तोमान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वास्तरपरिस्तोम
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• राड़कवान्: having/with (rāḍaka-) ornaments; adorned
• राड़कवान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: राड़कवत्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• पतितान्: fallen
• पतितान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पतित
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• भुवि: on the ground
• भुवि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• horses (aśvāḥ)
• mules/pack-animals (implied by astara/paristoma context)
• animal trappings/caparison (astara, paristoma)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the fragility of worldly splendor: even the most ornate signs of power—banners, caparisons, and costly gear—are reduced to debris on the battlefield, reminding the listener that pride and display cannot withstand the consequences of violence and fate.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is reporting to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the दृश्य of the battlefield: animal coverings and rich trappings (for horses and related mounts) have fallen to the ground amid the fighting, conveying the scale of disorder and devastation.