Shloka 383

Devanagari script

अनभिश्ञेयरूपां च प्रदग्धामस्त्रतेजसा । वहाँ हमलोगोंने अद्भुत दृश्य देखा। पाण्डवोंकी वह सारी अक्षौहिणी उस अस्त्रके तेजसे इस प्रकार दग्ध एवं नष्ट हो गयी थी कि उसे पहचानना असम्भव हो गया

Transliteration

anabhiśñeyarūpāṁ ca pradagdhām astratejasā | tatra vayaṁ lokāḥ adbhutaṁ dṛśyaṁ dadṛśima | pāṇḍavānāṁ sā sarvā akṣauhiṇī tasya astrasya tejasā evaṁ dagdhā ca naṣṭā ca abhavat yathā tāṁ pratyabhijñātuṁ na śakyate |

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Burned by the blazing power of that weapon, the army was reduced to a form beyond recognition. There we witnessed a truly astonishing sight: the entire Pandava host was so scorched and destroyed by the radiance of that missile that it became impossible to identify.”

Word by Word

• अनभिज्ञेयरूपाम्: having a form impossible to recognize
• अनभिज्ञेयरूपाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनभिज्ञेय-रूपा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

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

• प्रदग्धाम्: burnt, scorched
• प्रदग्धाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-दग्ध
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• अस्त्रतेजसा: by the brilliance/power of the weapon
• अस्त्रतेजसा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्त्र-तेजस्
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pandavas
• akṣauhiṇī (army host)
• astra (weapon/missile)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the moral peril of unrestrained weapon-power: when astras are unleashed, destruction can become so total that individuality and humane limits vanish, challenging dharma and the ethics of warfare.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a powerful astra has burned the Pandavas’ entire akṣauhiṇī so completely that the troops are left unrecognizable—an awe-inspiring yet horrifying spectacle on the battlefield.