Shloka 26

धृतराष्ट्र–संजय संवादः: कर्ण–घटोत्कचयोर्निशायुद्धवर्णनम्

Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Sañjaya Dialogue: Description of the Night Engagement of Karṇa and Ghaṭotkaca

Devanagari script

धार्तराष्ट्रबलं प्राप्प देवसेनापि भारत

Transliteration

dhārtarāṣṭrabalaṃ prāpya devasenāpi bhārata

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „O Bhārata, als man das Heer der Dhārtarāṣṭras erreichte, kam auch das göttliche Heer dorthin—ein Zeichen, dass der Streit Kräfte jenseits des bloß Menschlichen an sich zog und dass die Kriegswende durch größere, schicksalhafte Bündelungen geprägt wurde.“

Word by Word

धार्तराष्ट्रबलम्the army of the Dhārtarāṣṭras

प्राप्पattained/reached

देवसेनाthe divine army

अपिalso/even

भारतO Bhārata

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by dhārtarāṣṭra)

Kaurava army (Dhārtarāṣṭra-bala)

Devas (implied by deva-senā)

Bhārata (addressee)

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 that war is not only a clash of human wills but can be portrayed as moving under larger, fateful forces; it cautions that adharma-driven conflict tends to invite escalating consequences, as if even the ‘divine order’ becomes implicated in the unfolding outcome.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the divine host (devasenā) has arrived at or joined the Dhārtarāṣṭra forces, marking a significant development in the battle situation and intensifying the sense of cosmic-scale involvement in the Kurukṣetra war.