Shloka 46

Devanagari script

ततः कुमुदनाथेन कामिनीगण्डपाण्डुना । नेत्रानन्देन चन्द्रेण माहेन्द्री दिगलड्कृता,तत्पश्चात्‌ कामिनियोंके कपोलोंके समान श्वेत-पीतवर्णवाले नयनानन्ददायी कुमुदनाथ चन्द्रमाने पूर्व दिशाको सुशोभित किया

Transliteration

tataḥ kumudanāthena kāminīgaṇḍapāṇḍunā | netrānandena candreṇa māhendrī dig alaṅkṛtā ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then the eastern quarter—Indra’s own direction—was adorned by the moon, the lord of the kumuda-lotuses, whose pale radiance resembled the fair-yellow glow of a beloved woman’s cheek and whose light delighted the eyes.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

कुमुदनाथेनby the lord of kumudas (the moon)

कामिनीगण्डपाण्डुनाby (him) pale like a beloved woman's cheek

नेत्रानन्देनby (him) delighting the eyes

चन्द्रेणby the moon

माहेन्द्रीthe eastern (direction) of Indra (i.e., the east)

दिक्direction

अलङ्कृताwas adorned/beautified

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Candra (the Moon)

Kumuda (night-blooming lotus)

Indra

Māhendrī diś (the eastern quarter)

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 implicitly contrasts the calm, orderly beauty of the natural world with the turmoil of the battlefield, reminding the listener that ethical reflection and awareness of a larger cosmic order can persist even amid war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the moon rising and beautifying the eastern quarter, using imagery of the moon’s pale glow likened to a beloved woman’s cheek and emphasizing its eye-delighting radiance.