Shloka 48

Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 96: Sātyaki’s Line-Penetration, Encirclement, and Advance toward Arjuna

Devanagari script

भगवान्‌ सूर्य सब प्रकारसे तुम्हारा मंगल करें। चारों दिग्गज, पृथ्वी, आकाश और ग्रह तुम्हारा भला करें |। अधस्ताद्‌ धरणीं योडसौ सदा धारयते नृप । शेषश्व पन्नगश्रेष्ठ: स्वस्ति तुभ्यं प्रयच्छतु,राजन! जो सदा इस पृथ्वीके नीचे रहकर इसे अपने मस्तकपर धारण करते हैं, वे पन्नगश्रेष्ठ भगवान्‌ शेषनाग तुम्हें कल्याण प्रदान करें

Transliteration

bhagavān sūryaḥ sarva-prakāreṇa tava maṅgalaṃ karotu | catvāro diggajāḥ pṛthivī ākāśaṃ ca grahāś ca tava bhalaṃ kurvantu | adhastād dharaṇīṃ yo 'sau sadā dhārayate nṛpa | śeṣaś ca pannagaśreṣṭhaḥ svasti tubhyaṃ prayacchatu rājan ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “May the blessed Sun bring you auspiciousness in every way. May the four guardian elephants of the quarters, the earth, the sky, and the planets all work for your welfare. And may Śeṣa, the foremost of serpents—who ever abides beneath the earth and bears it upon his head—grant you well-being, O king.”

Word by Word

• {'sañjaya uvāca': 'Sañjaya said', 'bhagavān': 'the blessed, venerable (divine) one', 'sūryaḥ': 'the Sun (deity)', 'sarva-prakāreṇa': 'in every way, by all means', 'maṅgalam': 'auspiciousness, welfare', 'karotu': 'may (he) do

• optative benediction', 'catvāraḥ': 'four', 'diggajāḥ': 'elephants of the directions

• cosmic guardians of the quarters', 'pṛthivī': 'earth', 'ākāśam': 'sky, space', 'grahāḥ': 'planets

• celestial influencers', 'bhalaṃ (bhadraṃ)': 'good, welfare (sense: auspicious good)', 'adhastāt': 'below, beneath', 'dharaṇīm': 'the earth (as the bearer/ground)', 'yaḥ asau': 'that one who', 'sadā': 'always', 'dhārayate': 'bears, supports', 'nṛpa': 'king', 'śeṣaḥ': 'Śeṣa (Ananta), cosmic serpent', 'pannagaśreṣṭhaḥ': 'best of serpents', 'svasti': 'well-being, blessing', 'tubhyam': 'to you', 'prayacchatu': 'may (he) grant', 'rājan': 'O king'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Sūrya (Sun deity)
• Diggajas (four elephants of the quarters)
• Pṛthivī (Earth)
• Ākāśa (Sky/Space)
• Grahāḥ (Planets)
• Śeṣa (Ananta Nāga)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even amid warfare, the text frames human affairs within a larger moral-cosmic order: welfare (maṅgala/svasti) is sought by aligning with sustaining powers—Sun, directions, planets, and Śeṣa—symbols of stability, restraint, and rightful order.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya offers a formal benediction to the king, invoking multiple cosmic guardians for his safety and success. The prayer emphasizes protection and steadiness, contrasting the battlefield’s instability with images of the universe being upheld.