Shloka 72

द्वैपायनह्रदे दुर्योधनान्वेषणम् / The Search for Duryodhana at Dvaipāyana Lake

Devanagari script

शयनीयानि शुभ्राणि स्पर्थ्यास्तरणवन्ति च । समादाय ययुस्तूर्ण नगरं दाररक्षिण:,प्रजानाथ! उनके साथ हाथोंमें बेंतकी छड़ी लिये द्वारपाल भी चल रहे थे। रानियोंकी रक्षामें नियुक्त हुए सेवक शुभ्र एवं बहुमूल्य बिछौने लेकर शीघ्रतापूर्वक नगरकी ओर चलने लगे

Transliteration

śayanīyāni śubhrāṇi spṛthyāstaraṇavanti ca | samādāya yayus tūrṇaṁ nagaraṁ dārarakṣiṇaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: Die Diener, die zum Schutz der Frauenräume bestimmt waren, nahmen helle, reine Lagerstätten samt kostbaren Decken und Überwürfen an sich und eilten zur Stadt; und mit ihnen gingen die Torwächter, Stäbe in der Hand, um Ordnung und Schutz zu wahren.

Word by Word

शयनीयानिbeds, beddings

शुभ्राणिwhite, bright

स्पर्ध्यानिvaluable, enviable

आस्तरणवन्तिhaving coverings/spreads

चand

समादायhaving taken up, taking along

ययुःthey went

तूर्णम्quickly

नगरम्to the city

दाररक्षिणःguards/protectors of the wives (women's quarters)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

nagara (city)

dārarakṣiṇaḥ (guards of the women’s quarters)

dvārapālāḥ (gatekeepers, implied by context)

vetra-daṇḍa (staff/cane, implied by context)

śayanīya (bedding)

āstaraṇa (coverings/spreads)

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 dharma as disciplined protection and responsible service: even amid crisis, attendants and gatekeepers uphold order, safeguard vulnerable spaces, and carry out assigned duties without negligence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Household attendants tasked with guarding the women’s quarters gather clean, valuable bedding and coverings and hurry toward the city, accompanied by gatekeepers carrying staffs—indicating an organized movement and security arrangement within the royal establishment.