Shloka 47

Devanagari script

ततः प्रववृते युद्ध तव तेषां च भारत । निशीथे दारुणे काले यमराष्ट्रविवर्धनम्‌,भारत! तदनन्तर उस भयंकर निशीथकालमें आपके पुत्र और द्रौपदीपुत्रोंका घोर युद्ध आरम्भ हुआ, जो यमराजके राज्यकी वृद्धि करनेवाला था

Transliteration

tataḥ pravavṛte yuddhaṃ tava teṣāṃ ca bhārata | niśīthe dāruṇe kāle yamarāṣṭravivardhanam ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then, O Bhārata, a battle began between your sons and those warriors—at the dreadful hour of midnight—one that would only swell the realm of Yama, the Lord of Death.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

प्रववृतेbegan, commenced

युद्धम्battle, war

तवof you, your

तेषाम्of them

चand

भारतO Bharata

निशीथेat midnight

दारुणेterrible, dreadful

कालेat the time

यमराष्ट्रविवर्धनम्increasing Yama's realm (i.e., causing many deaths)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by address 'Bhārata')

Kauravas (your sons)

Pāṇḍavas' side (implied opponents)

Yama

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 frames war as ethically corrosive when it becomes a contest of enmity: its true ‘fruit’ is the expansion of Yama’s realm—death and suffering—rather than righteous gain. It cautions that violence, especially in dark and lawless hours, tends to magnify adharma’s consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, at the terrifying hour of midnight, fighting erupted between the Kauravas (Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons) and their opponents. The description emphasizes the ominous timing and the lethal outcome, suggesting heavy casualties.