Shloka 346

रणभूमिवर्णनम् — Devāsuropama-yuddha and the ‘River’ Metaphor of the Battlefield

Devanagari script

अभ्यवर्तन्त संक्रुद्धा विविधायुधपाणय: । इसी प्रकार रणभूमिमें नाना प्रकारके अस्त्र-शस्त्र लिये क्रोधमें भरे हुए आपके पक्षके दस हजार योद्धा पाण्डवोंका सामना करने लगे

Transliteration

abhyavartanta saṅkruddhā vividhāyudhapāṇayaḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: Von Zorn entbrannt, mit Waffen vieler Arten in den Händen, wogten sie voran—die Krieger deiner Seite drängten in das Schlachtfeld, um den Pāṇḍavas entgegenzutreten. Die Szene zeigt, wie Wut und kriegerischer Eifer die Menschen in gewaltsame Verstrickung treiben und inmitten des Kriegslärms Maß und Urteilskraft verdunkeln.

Word by Word

• अभ्यवर्तन्त: they advanced/turned towards (attacked)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि√वृत् (वर्तते)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), परस्मैपद, 3, plural

• संक्रुद्धाः: enraged
• संक्रुद्धाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संक्रुद्ध (कृदन्त; √क्रुध्)
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• विविध: with various
• विविध: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विविध
• Form: neuter, instrumental, singular

• आयुध: weapons
• आयुध: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयुध
• Form: neuter, instrumental, singular

• पाणयः: hands (having in their hands)
• पाणयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाणि
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pāṇḍavas
• weapons (āyudha)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how krodha (anger) propels combatants into escalation; in the Mahābhārata’s ethical frame, uncontrolled wrath clouds judgment and accelerates adharma-driven violence, even when warriors believe they are fulfilling kṣatriya duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that warriors on Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s side, armed with diverse weapons and filled with rage, advance to meet the Pāṇḍavas on the battlefield, signaling an intensification of the clash.