Shloka 17

Devanagari script

प्रतार्यमाणस्तै: सर्वैरल्पबुद्धिभिरण्डज:

Transliteration

pratāryamāṇas taiḥ sarvair alpabuddhibhir aṇḍajaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: The egg-born one (a bird) was being harassed and driven about by all those men of little understanding—an image of how the foolish, acting in a crowd, torment the vulnerable without discernment or restraint.

Word by Word

• प्रतार्यमाणः: being harassed/tormented
• प्रतार्यमाणः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-तॄ (धातु) → प्रतारय् (णिच्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तैः: by them
• तैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• सर्वैः: by all
• सर्वैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• अल्पबुद्धिभिः: by the dull-witted/short-minded ones
• अल्पबुद्धिभिः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अल्पबुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• अण्डजः: the bird (egg-born one)
• अण्डजः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अण्डज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• aṇḍajaḥ (a bird)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical failure of 'alpabuddhi'—lack of discernment—where many act together to harass a weaker being. It implicitly commends restraint, compassion, and thoughtful conduct (dharma) over impulsive cruelty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a scene in which an 'aṇḍaja' (a bird) is being chased or tormented by a group of foolish people, serving as a vivid narrative detail and moral contrast within the larger war-episode context.