Shloka 16

उपायैः पूर्ववधकथनम् / Strategic Justifications for Prior Eliminations

Devanagari script

योधानामशिवा रौद्रा राजन्नन्तकगामिनी

Transliteration

yodhānām aśivā raudrā rājann antakagāminī

Translation

Sañjaya said: O King, for the warriors there arose an inauspicious, terrifying omen—one that seemed to lead straight toward Antaka (Death).

Word by Word

• योधानाम्: of the warriors
• योधानाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: योध
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• अशिवा: inauspicious
• अशिवा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अशिव
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• रौद्रा: terrible, fierce
• रौद्रा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रौद्र
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• अन्तकगामिनी: leading to death (Yama)
• अन्तकगामिनी: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्तक-गामिन्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by 'rājan')
• Antaka (Death)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how large-scale violence and unrighteous conflict are accompanied by ominous signs, suggesting moral and existential consequences: when war becomes ruthless, it naturally tends toward death and ruin.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a dreadful, inauspicious portent has appeared among the warriors—an omen indicating that the battle is moving toward widespread death (Antaka).