Shloka 24

द्रोणवध-प्रश्नः

Droṇa’s Fall: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Inquiry

Devanagari script

पलालधूमसंकाशा: सैन्धवा: शीघ्रमावहन्‌ । केकयदेशके सुकुमार राजकुमार बृहत्क्षत्रकों पुआलके धूएँके समान उज्ज्वल-नील वर्णवाले सिन्धुदेशीय* अच्छी जातिके घोड़ोंने शीघ्रतापूर्वक रणभूमिमें पहुँचाया ।। मल्लिकाक्षा: पद्मवर्णा बाह्लिजाता: स्वलंकृता:

Transliteration

palāladhūma-saṅkāśāḥ saindhavāḥ śīghram āvahan | mallikākṣāḥ padma-varṇā bāhlijātaḥ svalāṅkṛtāḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Horses from Sindhu-deśa, gleaming with a bluish lustre like the smoke of burning straw, swiftly bore (their rider/chariot) onto the battlefield. They were lotus-hued, bright-eyed, of Bāhlika stock, and richly adorned—signs of royal power being hurled into the urgency of war.

Word by Word

• पलालधूमसंकाशाः: resembling the smoke of straw/chaff
• पलालधूमसंकाशाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पलालधूमसंकाश
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सैन्धवाः: Sindhu-country horses (Saindhavas)
• सैन्धवाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सैन्धव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• शीघ्रम्: quickly
• शीघ्रम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शीघ्र

• आवहन्: they carried/brought (conveyed)
• आवहन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + वह्
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), 3rd, Plural

• मल्लिकाक्षाः: having jasmine-like eyes
• मल्लिकाक्षाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मल्लिकाक्ष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पद्मवर्णाः: lotus-colored
• पद्मवर्णाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पद्मवर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• बाह्लिजाताः: born in Bahlika (Bactria) / of Bahlika breed
• बाह्लिजाताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बाह्लिजात
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• स्वलंकृताः: well-adorned
• स्वलंकृताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + अलंकृत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Sindhu-deśa (Saindhava)
• Bāhlika (Bahlija)
• horses