Shloka 54

Devanagari script

रासभारुणवर्णाभा: पृष्ठतो मूषिकप्रभा: । वल्गन्त इव संयत्ता व्याप्रदत्तमुदावहन्‌,गदहेके समान मलिन एवं अरुणवर्णवाले, पृष्ठभागमें चूहेके समान श्याम- मलिन कान्ति धारण करनेवाले तथा विनीत घोड़े व्याप्रदत्तको युद्धमें उछलते- कूदते हुए-से ले गये

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

rāsabhāruṇavarṇābhāḥ pṛṣṭhato mūṣikaprabhāḥ |

valganta iva saṃyattā vyāpradattam udāvahan ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: The well-trained horses—dusky-red like asses, yet with a mouse-dark sheen along their backs—seemed to leap and bound as they carried Vyāpradatta away amid the press of battle.

Word by Word

• रासभ-अरुण-वर्ण-आभाः: having the hue/color of a reddish donkey
• रासभ-अरुण-वर्ण-आभाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आभा (प्रातिपदिक) / रासभ / अरुण / वर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पृष्ठतः: from/at the back; behind
• पृष्ठतः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)

• मूषिक-प्रभाः: having a mouse-like (dark/grey) sheen
• मूषिक-प्रभाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रभा (प्रातिपदिक) / मूषिक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• वल्गन्तः: leaping, bounding
• वल्गन्तः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वल्ग् (धातु)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ), Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• इव: as if, like
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• संयत्ताः: restrained, well-controlled, harnessed
• संयत्ताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-यम् (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• व्याप्रदत्तम्: Vyāpradatta (proper name)
• व्याप्रदत्तम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याप्रदत्त (प्रातिपदिक, व्यक्तिनाम)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• उदावहन्: carried off, bore away
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद्-वाह् (धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Vyāpradatta
• horses

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the reality of dharma-in-war as lived experience: disciplined beings (the trained horses) perform their assigned role amid dust, strain, and danger. It suggests that duty in conflict is carried out through control and steadiness even when circumstances are grim.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the appearance and movement of the horses and says they carried Vyāpradatta away, seemingly bounding as they moved through the battlefield.