Shloka 23

Vāg-yuddha and Nimitta-darśana before the Gadāyuddha

Verbal Duel and Omens

Devanagari script

सम्प्रहष्टमना राजन्‌ गदामादाय कौरव:

Transliteration

samprahṛṣṭamanā rājan gadām ādāya kauravaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: O King, the Kaurava, his mind exultant, took up his mace—eager for combat, driven by the fierce momentum of war.

Word by Word

• सम्प्रहष्टमना: with delighted mind, very cheerful
• सम्प्रहष्टमना: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्प्रहृष्ट-मनस्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• गदाम्: mace
• गदाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गदा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• आदाय: having taken
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-दा
• Form: Absolutive (Gerund)

• कौरवः: the Kaurava (Duryodhana)
• कौरवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौरव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Kaurava
• gadā (mace)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how exhilaration and pride can surge in battle, propelling action; ethically, it invites reflection on whether one’s enthusiasm is guided by dharma and discernment or by mere martial intoxication.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a Kaurava warrior, feeling elated, picks up his mace—signaling readiness to engage in a decisive confrontation.