Shloka 19

Devanagari script

धनु: कूजितविज्ञानं तत्रासीत्‌ प्रतियुद्धयत: । गात्रस्पर्शेन योधानां व्यज्ञास्त परिपन्थिनम्‌,जिघांसन्तं युधां श्रेष्ठ तदा55सीत्‌ तुमुलं महत्‌ । संजय कहते हैं--राजन्‌! पाण्डवपक्षके लाखों क्षत्रियशिरोमणि महारथी विराट सेनापति शूरवीर श्वेतको आगे करके आपके पुत्र दुर्योधनको अपना बल दिखाते हुए शिखण्डीको सामने रखकर भीष्मके सुवर्णभूषित रथपर चढ़ आये। भारत! वे महारथी श्लेतकी रक्षा करना चाहते थे। इसलिये उसे मारनेकी इच्छावाले योद्धाओंमें श्रेष्ठ भीष्मपर उन्होंने धावा किया। उस समय बड़ा भयंकर युद्ध छिड़ गया उस संग्राममें इतनी धूल उड़ी कि कुछ सूझ नहीं पड़ता था। केवल धनुषकी टंकारसे ही यह जाना जाता था कि प्रतिद्वन्धी युद्ध कर रहा है। कितने ही योद्धा दूसरे योद्धाओंके शरीरका स्पर्श करके ही यह समझ पाते थे कि यह शत्रुदलका है

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | dhanuḥ-kūjita-vijñānaṃ tatrāsīt pratiyuddhayataḥ | gātra-sparśena yodhānāṃ vyajñāsta paripanthinam jighāṃsantaṃ yudhāṃ śreṣṭha tadā āsīt tumulaṃ mahat ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “O King, in that battle the fighters could recognize one another only by the twang of the bow, for the clash was so confused. Many warriors, merely by the touch of another’s limbs, could discern whether he was an opposing foe. As they rushed to strike down Bhīṣma—the foremost of combatants—the fighting at that moment swelled into a vast and tumultuous uproar.”

Word by Word

धनुःbow

कूजित-विज्ञानम्recognition by the twang/sound

तत्रthere

आसीत्was

प्रतियुद्धयतःof the one fighting back / of the opponent fighting

गात्र-स्पर्शेनby (mere) touch of the body/limbs

योधानाम्of warriors

व्यज्ञास्तthey recognized/knew

परिपन्थिनम्the adversary/opponent

जिघांसन्तम्wishing to kill

युधाम्of battles/fights

श्रेष्ठO best (one)

तदाthen

आसीत्was

तुमुलम्tumultuous, fierce

महत्great

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Bhīṣma

bow (dhanuḥ)

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?

The verse highlights the moral and practical chaos of war: when violence escalates, clarity and discernment collapse, and even identifying friend or foe becomes difficult—underscoring the grave cost of battle despite heroic ideals.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a moment of intense fighting where dust and tumult obscure vision; warriors identify opponents by the sound of bowstrings or by touch, as the assault concentrates on Bhīṣma and the battle becomes fiercely uproarious.