Shloka 17

Devanagari script

दृढा: संग्राममध्येषु कच्चिदासन्नविह्नला: । करिणां बूंहतां युद्धे शड्खदुन्दुभिनि:स्वनै:,जिनके रंग लाल थे, जो विशाल एवं दृढ़ शरीरवाले थे, जिन्हें सोनेकी जालियोंसे आच्छादित किया जाता था, जो रथमें जोते जानेपर वायुके समान वेगसे चलते थे, संग्राममें सब प्रकारके शस्त्रोंद्वारा किये जानेवाले प्रहारको बचा जाते थे, जो बलवान, सुशिक्षित और रथको अच्छी तरह वहन करनेवाले थे, रणभूमिमें जो दृढ़तापूर्वक डटे रहते और जोर- जोरसे हिनहिनाते थे, धनुषोंकी टंकारके साथ होनेवाली बाणवर्षा तथा अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंके आधघातको सहन करनेमें समर्थ एवं शत्रुओंको जीतनेका उत्साह रखनेवाले थे, जो पीड़ा तथा श्वासको जीत चुके थे, वे सिन्धुदेशीय घोड़े युद्ध-स्थलमें चिग्घाड़ते हुए हाथियों और शंखों एवं नगाड़ोंकी आवाजसे घबराये तो नहीं थे?

Transliteration

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | dṛḍhāḥ saṅgrāmamadhyeṣu kaccid āsann avihvalāḥ | kariṇāṁ bṛṁhatāṁ yuddhe śaṅkhadundubhinisvanaiḥ ||

Translation

Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Were they steadfast and unshaken in the midst of battle? Amid the clash of war—when great elephants were trumpeting and conches and kettledrums resounded—did they remain undismayed?”

Word by Word

दृढाःfirm, steadfast

संग्राम-मध्येषुin the midst of battles

कच्चित्whether?, surely?

आसन्were

नnot

विह्वलाःconfused, shaken

करिणाम्of elephants

बृंहताम्of huge (ones)

युद्धेin battle

शङ्ख-दुन्दुभि-निःस्वनैःby the sounds of conches and kettle-drums

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

elephants (kariṇaḥ)

conches (śaṅkhāḥ)

kettledrums/war-drums (dundubhayaḥ)

battlefield (saṅgrāma/yuddha)

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 highlights the ethical-psychological dimension of warfare: true steadiness is not merely physical strength but the capacity to remain unconfused and resolute amid fear-inducing chaos—noise, massed elephants, and the sensory overwhelm of battle.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra, unable to see the battlefield, anxiously questions the reporter (Sañjaya in context) about whether the warriors remained firm and unshaken when the battle’s terrifying sounds—elephants’ trumpeting and the blare of conches and drums—rose around them.