Shloka 39

Devanagari script

तत्रेमे कुरुपाउचाला: शाल्वा माद्रेयजाड्रला: । शूरसेना: पुलिन्दाश्न बोधा मालास्तथैव च,भारतमें ये कुरु-पांचाल, शाल्व, माद्रेय-जांगल, शूरसेन, पुलिन्द, बोध, माल, मत्स्य, कुशल्य, सौशल्य, कुन्ति, कान्ति, कोसल, चेदि, मत्स्य, करूष, भोज, सिन्धु-पुलिन्द, उत्तमाश्च, दशार्ण, मेकल, उत्कल, पंचाल, कोसल, नैकपृष्ठ, धुरंधर, गोधा, मद्रकलिंग, काशि, अपरकाशि, जठर, कुक्कुर, दशार्ण, कुन्ति, अवन्ति, अपरकुन्ति, गोमन्त, मन्दक, सण्ड, विदर्भ, रूपवाहिक, अश्मक, पाण्ड्राष्ट्र, गोपराष्ट्र, करीति, अधिराज्य, कुशाद्य तथा मल्लराष्ट्र

Transliteration

tatreme kurupāñcālāḥ śālvā mādreya-jāṅgalāḥ | śūrasenāḥ pulindāś ca bodhā mālāstathaiva ca ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „Dort, auf jenem Schlachtfeld, sind diese Völker und ihre Heere versammelt — die Kurūs und Pāñcālas, die Śālvas, die Mādras und die Jāṅgalas; die Śūrasenas; und ebenso die Pulindas, die Bodhas und die Mālas.“

Word by Word

तत्रthere

इमेthese

कुरवःthe Kurus

पाञ्चालाःthe Panchalas

शाल्वाःthe Shalvas

माद्रेयाःthe Madreyas (people of Madra)

जाड्रलाःthe Jadrilas/Jangalas (tribe-name; reading uncertain)

शूरसेनाःthe Shurasenas

पुलिन्दाःthe Pulindas

चand

बोधाःthe Bodhas (tribe-name)

मालाःthe Malas (tribe-name)

तथाlikewise

एवindeed/just

चand

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Kuru

Pāñcāla

Śālva

Mādra

Jāṅgala

Śūrasena

Pulinda

Bodha

Māla

Kurukṣetra (implied by context)

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 highlights the war’s comprehensive reach: not only individual heroes but entire peoples are implicated. Ethically, it points to the Mahābhārata’s recurring warning that political ambition and unresolved injustice can draw whole societies into suffering, making the consequences communal rather than merely personal.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is reporting to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the composition of the assembled forces at Kurukṣetra. He enumerates various kingdoms and tribes present, continuing a catalogue that conveys the immense scale and diversity of the armies gathered for battle.