Shloka 19

धनंजयस्य आश्वासनम्

Dhanaṃjaya’s Reassurance and the Opening Engagement

Devanagari script

बिभ्रन्मालां महातेजा: पद्मोत्पलसमायुताम्‌ । विप्रेक्षष्माणो बहुभिनातृप्पत्‌ सुमहाहवम्‌

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | bibhran mālāṃ mahātejāḥ padmotpalasamāyutām | viprekṣamāṇo bahubhir na tṛpyat sumahāhavam ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: In großem Glanz erstrahlend trug Indra eine Girlande, geflochten aus Lotos und blauem Lotos. Umgeben von den Göttern, die in ihren himmlischen Wagen verweilten, schaute er immer wieder auf jene gewaltige Schlacht, und doch wurde er nicht satt — so fesselnd waren Arjunas Tapferkeit und der gerechte Kampf, der sich vor ihm entfaltete.

Word by Word

• बिभ्रन्: bearing, wearing
• बिभ्रन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: भृ (धातु)
• Form: शतृ (वर्तमान कृदन्त), पुं, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मालाम्: garland
• मालाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: माला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्री, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• महातेजाः: the very radiant one
• महातेजाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महातेजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• पद्मोत्पलसमायुताम्: joined with lotuses and water-lilies
• पद्मोत्पलसमायुताम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पद्म + उत्पल + समायुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्री, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• विप्रेक्ष्यमाणः: looking at, beholding
• विप्रेक्ष्यमाणः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + प्रेक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: शानच् (वर्तमान कर्मणि/आत्मनेपद कृदन्त), पुं, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• बहुभिः: with many
• बहुभिः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुं, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• नातृप्तः: not satisfied, not sated
• नातृप्तः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: न + तृप्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• सुमहाहवम्: the very great battle
• सुमहाहवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु + महा + आहव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं, द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Indra (Vajradhara)
• Devas (gods)
• Vimānas (celestial chariots)
• Padma (lotus)
• Utpala (blue lotus)
• Arjuna (implied by context of the battle being watched)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how righteous valor and steadfast duty (dharma in action) can become worthy even of divine attention: the gods themselves delight in witnessing courage aligned with a just cause, suggesting that ethical conduct in conflict elevates human action to cosmic significance.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator describes Indra, adorned with a lotus garland and surrounded by gods in celestial vimānas, repeatedly watching a tremendous battle—understood in context as Arjuna’s extraordinary combat—so captivating that even repeated viewing does not satisfy him.