Shloka 2

Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 50 — Arjuna’s foreboding and lament for Abhimanyu; Kṛṣṇa’s dharma-consolation

Devanagari script

निरीक्षमाणास्तु वयं परे चायोधनं शनै: । अपयाता महाराज ग्लानिं प्राप्ता विचेतस:,महाराज! हम और शत्रुपक्षके लोग युद्धस्थलको देखते हुए धीरे-धीरे वहाँसे हट गये। पाण्डवदलके लोग अत्यन्त शोकग्रस्त हो अचेत हो रहे थे

Transliteration

nirīkṣamāṇās tu vayaṁ pare cāyodhanaṁ śanaiḥ | apayātā mahārāja glāniṁ prāptā vicetasaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “O King, as we and the opposing side kept looking upon the battlefield, we slowly withdrew from that place. The warriors were overcome by exhaustion and grief, their minds unsteady and confused.”

Word by Word

निरीक्षमाणाःlooking at, observing

तुbut/indeed

वयम्we

परेthe others; the enemy side

चand

आयोधनम्battlefield; place of fighting

शनैःslowly, gradually

अपयाताःhaving withdrawn; having gone away

महाराजO great king

ग्लानिम्weariness; dejection

प्राप्ताःhaving attained; having fallen into

विचेतसःbewildered; senseless

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

battlefield (āyodhana)

the opposing armies (vayam, pare)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the human cost of war: even victors and foes alike can be shaken by what they witness. Ethical reflection arises not from triumph but from confronting suffering, fatigue, and mental disarray produced by violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that both sides, after looking over the battlefield, gradually pull back. The fighters are overwhelmed—physically drained and mentally clouded—suggesting a pause or recoil after intense and grievous fighting.