Shloka 9

Devanagari script

विन्दानुविन्दावावन्त्यौ काम्बोजश्च सुदक्षिण:

Transliteration

vindānuvindāv āvantyau kāmbojaś ca sudakṣiṇaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Vindā and Anuvindā of Avanti, along with the Kāmboja warrior Sudakṣiṇa, were present—named among the prominent fighters as the battle-lines gathered and the war’s momentum intensified.”

Word by Word

• विन्दानुविन्दौ: Vindā and Anuvinda
• विन्दानुविन्दौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: विन्द + अनुविन्द (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• आवन्त्यौ: the two Avantis (princes of Avanti)
• आवन्त्यौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: आवन्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• काम्बोजः: the Kamboja (king/warrior)
• काम्बोजः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम्बोज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

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

• सुदक्षिणः: Sudakṣiṇa
• सुदक्षिणः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुदक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Vindā
• Anuvindā
• Avanti
• Kāmboja
• Sudakṣiṇa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse functions as part of a warrior-catalogue, highlighting how many regional rulers and allies are drawn into the Kurukṣetra war. Ethically, it underscores the epic’s recurring tension: kṣatriya obligation and political allegiance can pull entire peoples into violence, making the war a collective moral and social crisis rather than a private feud.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is reporting to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, naming notable combatants present in the ongoing battle. Here he identifies Vindā and Anuvindā (princes of Avanti) and Sudakṣiṇa (a Kāmboja leader) as part of the assembled forces in Drona Parva’s battle description.