Shloka 27

Devanagari script

वनायुजानू्‌ पर्वतीयान्‌ काम्बोजान्‌ बाह्विकानपि | तथा हयवरान्‌ राजन्‌ निजघ्ने तत्र सात्यकि:,राजन! वहाँ सात्यकिने वनायु, काम्बोज (काबुल) और बाह्लीक देशोंमें उत्पन्न हुए श्रेष्ठ अश्वों तथा पहाड़ी घोड़ोंको भी मार गिराया

Transliteration

vanāyujānūn parvatīyān kāmbojān bāhvikān api | tathā hayavarān rājan nijaghne tatra sātyakiḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “O King, there Sātyaki struck down even the finest horses—those bred among the Vanāyus, the mountain-bred steeds, and those from the Kāmboja and Bāhlīka regions.”

Word by Word

वनायुजान्born in the Vanayu country (Vanayu-born)

पर्वतीयान्mountain(-bred), from the hills

काम्बोजान्Kambojas (people/region)

बाह्विकान्Bāhlīkas/Bāhvikas (people/region)

अपिalso, even

तथाlikewise, in the same way

हयवरान्excellent horses (lit. horse-best)

राजन्O king

निजघ्नेslew, struck down

तत्रthere, in that place

सात्यकिःSātyaki

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Sātyaki (Yuyudhāna)

Vanāyu (people/region)

Kāmboja

Bāhlīka/Bāhīka

mountain-bred horses

horses (hayāḥ)

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 all-consuming nature of war: not only warriors but also the resources and living instruments of battle (horses) are destroyed. It implicitly points to the ethical burden of conflict, where victory is pursued at a cost that spreads beyond direct combatants.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Sātyaki, fighting fiercely on the battlefield, is cutting down even renowned, high-quality horses associated with famous horse-breeding regions such as Kāmboja and Bāhlīka, including mountain-bred steeds.