Shloka 28

Devanagari script

नानादेशसमुत्थांश्व॒ तुरगान्‌ हेमभूषितान्‌ । वातायमानानद्राक्ष शतशशो5थ सहस्रश:,अनेक देशोंमें उत्पन्न, सुवर्णभूषित और वायुके समान वेगशाली सैकड़ों और हजारों घोड़ोंको हमने रणभूमिसे भागते देखा है

Transliteration

nānādeśasamutthāṁś ca turagān hemabhūṣitān | vātāyamānān adrākṣaṁ śataśaśo 'tha sahasraśaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “I saw horses—bred in many different lands, adorned with golden trappings—fleeing from the battlefield in hundreds and in thousands, swift as the wind.”

Word by Word

नानाvarious, many kinds of

देशfrom a country/region

समुत्थान्arisen/originating

तुरगान्horses

हेमwith gold

भूषितान्adorned

वातायमानान्moving like the wind / wind-swift

अद्राक्षsaw

शतशःby hundreds, in hundreds

अथand then/also

सहस्रशःby thousands, in thousands

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

turaga (horses)

hema-bhūṣaṇa (golden ornaments/trappings)

raṇabhūmi (battlefield, implied)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Worldly magnificence—golden trappings, renowned breeds, and military assets—cannot ensure steadfastness in crisis; in war, fear and the force of events can overturn even what appears strongest, reminding one that true stability lies in inner discipline and dharmic resolve.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that he witnessed large numbers of richly adorned, wind-swift horses—coming from many regions—running away from the battlefield, indicating disorder and retreat amid the fighting.