Shloka 30

द्रोणवध-प्रश्नः

Droṇa’s Fall: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Inquiry

Devanagari script

नाकुलिं तु शतानीकं शालपुष्पनिभा हया: । आदित्यतरुणप्रख्या: श्लाघनीयमुदावहन्‌,नकुलके स्पृहणीय पुत्र शतानीकको शालपुष्पके समान रक्त-पीतवर्णवाले और बालसूर्यके समान कान्तिमान्‌ अश्व रणभूमिमें ले गये

Transliteration

nākuliṁ tu śatānīkaṁ śālapuṣpanibhā hayāḥ | ādityataruṇaprakhyāḥ ślāghanīyam udāvahan ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Horses, lovely as śāla-flowers and radiant like the young sun, bore Nakula’s son Śatānīka—an admirable sight—into the battlefield.

Word by Word

• नाकुलिम्: Nakuli (a mare/horse named Nakuli)
• नाकुलिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाकुली
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• शतानीकम्: Shatanika (proper name)
• शतानीकम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शतानीक
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• शालपुष्पनिभाः: resembling śāla-flowers
• शालपुष्पनिभाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शालपुष्पनिभ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• हयाः: horses
• हयाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: हय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• आदित्यतरुणप्रख्याः: bright like the young sun
• आदित्यतरुणप्रख्याः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आदित्यतरुणप्रख्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• श्लाघनीयम्: praiseworthy
• श्लाघनीयम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्लाघनीय
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• उदावहन्: carried/led forth
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद्-√वह्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Śatānīka (son of Nakula)
• Nakula
• horses (hayāḥ)
• battlefield (implied)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the Kṣatriya ethos in epic warfare: outward splendor—radiant horses and a prince of noble lineage—functions as a marker of honor and morale. It implicitly contrasts the admired appearance of martial readiness with the harsh reality of battle, reminding readers how dharma in war is framed through duty, reputation, and disciplined courage.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Śatānīka, Nakula’s son, being carried into the battlefield by exceptionally beautiful and sun-bright horses. It is a brief battlefield tableau emphasizing the arrival and readiness of a Pandava prince amid the Drona Parva fighting.