Shloka 38

द्रोणवध-प्रश्नः

Droṇa’s Fall: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Inquiry

Devanagari script

रुक्ममालाधरा: शूरा हेमपृष्ठा: स्वलंकृता: । काशिराजं नरश्रेष्ठ श्लाघनीयमुदावहन्‌,सुवर्णमाला धारण करनेवाले शूरवीर और सुवर्ण रंगके पृष्ठभागवाले सजे- सजाये घोड़े स्पृहणीय नरश्रेष्ठ काशिराजको रणभूमिमें ले गये

Transliteration

rukmamālā-dharāḥ śūrā hemapṛṣṭhāḥ svalankṛtāḥ | kāśirājaṃ naraśreṣṭha ślāghanīyam udāvahan ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Brave, well-adorned horses, wearing golden garlands and having backs that gleamed like gold, bore the Kāśi king—an admirable best of men—onto the battlefield. The verse shows how royal honor and martial splendor accompany a warrior into peril, where reputation and duty are tested before all.

Word by Word

• रुक्ममालाधराः: wearing golden garlands
• रुक्ममालाधराः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रुक्ममालाधर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• शूराः: heroes/valiant ones
• शूराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• हेमपृष्ठाः: having golden backs
• हेमपृष्ठाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हेमपृष्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

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

• काशिराजम्: the king of Kāśi
• काशिराजम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशिराज
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• नरश्रेष्ठ: O best of men
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरश्रेष्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

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

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

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Kāśirāja (King of Kāśi)
• horses
• golden garlands (rukmamālā/suvarṇamālā)
• battlefield (implied)