Shloka 206

Devanagari script

केशेषु समसज्जन्त कवचेषु भुजेषु च । महाराज! रथीलोग रथहीन हो जानेपर परस्पर भिड़कर एक-दूसरेके केश, कवच और बाँहें पकड़कर जूझने लगे

Transliteration

keśeṣu samasajjanta kavaceṣu bhujēṣu ca | mahārāja rathīlōgā rathahīnāḥ paraspraṁ bhiḍitvā anyōnyasya keśān kavacāni bhujāṁś ca gṛhītvā yuyudhire ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “O great king, when the chariot-warriors were deprived of their chariots, they closed in upon one another at close quarters. Seizing each other by the hair, by the armor, and by the arms, they grappled and fought hand to hand.”

Word by Word

• केशेषु: in/onto the hairs (by the hair)
• केशेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: केश
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Plural

• सम्: together, completely (preverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्

• असज्जन्त: they clung/attached (themselves)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सञ्ज्
• Form: Imperfect, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• कवचेषु: on the armours
• कवचेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कवच
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Plural

• भुजेषु: on the arms
• भुजेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भुज
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• rathī (chariot-warriors)
• ratha (chariot)
• keśa (hair)
• kavaca (armor)
• bhuja (arm)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the relentless momentum of war: when conventional means (chariots and weapons) fail, combatants still persist, shifting to grappling. Ethically, it highlights how battle can erode distance and restraint, drawing warriors into raw, bodily struggle—an aspect of kṣatriya-dharma’s harsh reality rather than an ideal of compassion.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that many chariot-fighters have lost their chariots. Deprived of mobility and standard chariot warfare, they rush together and fight at close range, grabbing hair, armor, and arms, wrestling and striking in a chaotic melee.