Shloka 30

Devanagari script

न ज्ञायन्ते कौरवेया न पञ्चाला न पाण्डवा:

Transliteration

na jñāyante kauraveyā na pañcālā na pāṇḍavāḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: “In that turmoil, neither the Kauravas nor the Pañcālas nor the Pāṇḍavas could be clearly recognized—friend and foe alike were indistinguishable.”

Word by Word

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• ज्ञायन्ते: are known / are recognized
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा
• Form: Lat, Atmanepada, Karmani (passive), 3, plural

• कौरवेयाः: the Kauravas (descendants of Kuru)
• कौरवेयाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौरवेय
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• न: nor / not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• पञ्चालाः: the Panchalas
• पञ्चालाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चाल
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• न: nor / not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• पाण्डवाः: the Pandavas
• पाण्डवाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Kauravas
• Pañcālas
• Pāṇḍavas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights that in the chaos of battle, clear recognition and discrimination collapse; this loss of clarity becomes an ethical danger, since dharma depends on right discernment even under pressure.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the fighting has become so confused that the Kauravas, Pañcālas, and Pāṇḍavas cannot be readily identified—suggesting a melee where formations break and visibility and certainty are lost.