Shloka 32

उपायैः पूर्ववधकथनम् / Strategic Justifications for Prior Eliminations

Devanagari script

तत्र नागा रथाश्वैव जाम्बूनदविभूषिता:

Transliteration

tatra nāgā rathāśvaiva jāmbūnadavibhūṣitāḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: There, the war-elephants, the chariots, and the horses were all adorned with Jāmbūnada gold—royal splendor set amid the grim reality of battle, where outward magnificence stands against the inward cost of violence.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र
• Form: Avyaya (indeclinable adverb of place)

• नागाः: elephants
• नागाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• रथ: chariot(s)
• रथ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular (as member of a dvandva; collective sense)

• अश्व: horse(s)
• अश्व: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्व
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular (as member of a dvandva; collective sense)

• एव: indeed/also/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव
• Form: Avyaya (indeclinable particle)

• जाम्बूनदविभूषिताः: adorned with Jāmbūnada-gold
• जाम्बूनदविभूषिताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जाम्बूनद-विभूषित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural (agreeing with नागाः)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• war-elephants
• chariots
• horses
• Jāmbūnada gold

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the contrast between external grandeur (golden adornments) and the harsh moral reality of war, prompting reflection on how power and display can mask suffering and ethical loss.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene, noting that elephants, chariots, and horses are richly decorated with Jāmbūnada gold, emphasizing the scale and royal character of the forces engaged.