Shloka 216

Devanagari script

अशोभेतां महाराज चन्द्रसूर्याविवोदितौ । महाराज! रणमण्डलके बीचमें खड़े हुए ये दोनों नरश्रेष्ठ भ्राता उदित हुए चन्द्रमा और सूर्यके समान शोभा पा रहे थे

Transliteration

aśobhetāṃ mahārāja candrasūryāv ivoditau |

Translation

Sanjaya said: “O King, those two shone forth like the newly risen moon and sun. Standing in the midst of the battlefield, the two brother-heroes appeared radiant—like the moon and sun at their rising.”

Word by Word

अशोभेताम्shone, were splendid

महाराजO great king

चन्द्रthe moon

सूर्यौtwo suns / (moon and sun as a pair, by context)

इवlike, as

उदितौrisen, having arisen

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Mahārāja (Dhṛtarāṣṭra, implied addressee)

Moon (Candra)

Sun (Sūrya)

Battlefield (raṇamaṇḍala, implied by context)

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 paradox of war: martial excellence and noble bearing can appear beautiful, yet that very splendor unfolds within a setting of destruction—inviting reflection on how dharma and human admiration are tested in violent conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes two brother-warriors standing in the center of the battlefield, their presence radiant and commanding, compared to the moon and the sun rising—signaling a climactic confrontation and the heightened intensity of the scene.