Shloka 10

Devanagari script

युद्धे सुकृतिनां लोकानिच्छन्तो वसुधाधिपा: । चमूं विगाहा युध्यन्ते नित्यं स्वर्गपरायणा:,वसुधाके नरेश युद्धमें पुण्यात्माओंके लोकोंकी इच्छा करते हुए शत्रुकी सेनामें घुसकर युद्ध करते हैं और सदा स्वर्गको ही परम लक्ष्य मानते हैं

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | yuddhe sukṛtināṁ lokān icchanto vasudhādhipāḥ | camūṁ vigāhya yudhyante nityaṁ svargaparāyaṇāḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Seeking, through battle, the worlds attained by the meritorious, the kings—lords of the earth—plunge into the enemy host and fight, ever holding heaven as their highest aim.”

Word by Word

युद्धेin battle

सुकृतिनाम्of the meritorious (virtuous)

लोकान्worlds (realms)

इच्छन्तःdesiring

वसुधाधिपाःkings (lords of the earth)

चमूम्army

विगाह्यhaving plunged into / entering

युध्यन्तेthey fight

नित्यम्always

स्वर्गपरायणाःhaving heaven as the highest goal

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

vasudhādhipāḥ (kings)

camū (army/host)

svarga (heaven)

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 a common kṣatriya ideal: rulers enter the thick of battle seeking the merit-born realms (lokas) and regarding svarga as the highest reward. It implicitly raises an ethical point about intention—valor and duty are praised, yet the motivation is also framed as desire for heavenly attainment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the battlefield mindset of kings: they plunge into the opposing host and fight continuously, driven by the aspiration to gain the worlds of the virtuous and to reach heaven.