Shloka 16

Devanagari script

आलोक्य पाण्डवान्‌ युद्धे योधा राजन्‌ समन्ततः

Transliteration

ālokya pāṇḍavān yuddhe yodhā rājan samantataḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: O King, the warriors, looking upon the Pāṇḍavas in the midst of battle, on every side…

Word by Word

• आलोक्य: having seen / after looking at
• आलोक्य: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: आलोक् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप् (क्त्वा-अर्थे), कर्तरि, पूर्वकाले (absolutive/gerund)

• पाण्डवान्: the Pāṇḍavas
• पाण्डवान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• युद्धे: in battle
• युद्धे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• योधाः: warriors
• योधाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: योध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• समन्ततः: on all sides / all around
• समन्ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: समन्ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: true

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Pāṇḍavas
• battlefield (Kurukṣetra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames the war through Sañjaya’s eyewitness narration: leaders must face reality as it is—seeing the opposing force clearly—since judgment in dharma-conflict depends on accurate perception, not wishful thinking.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya addresses Dhṛtarāṣṭra and begins describing how the warriors, surveying the Pāṇḍavas on the battlefield from all directions, react and prepare—setting up the next details of troop movements and combat.